Ben 10: The Slayer Chronicles
by Winter Coma
Summary: Ben shouldn't have alien powers without the Omnitrix. So there's no doubt it comes as a surprise when he literally flies into a wall at a single sneeze. And what does it have to do with the new kids at his school? Rated T for a reason.
1. Back and Better Than Ever

Chapter 1: Back and Better Than Ever

_This version of Ben 10: Alien Force/Ultimate Alien is how I envision it. If you don't like it, don't read; simple as that._

_I don't particularly like how they created the spin-off. I mean, I like how well Ben and Gwen get along, and I could never hate Kevin, but I hate how Ben is first shown as a mature, responsible leader and then regresses into his old persona. I'll have to fix that. I'll also be adding some plot to particular seasons, like in season three of Alien Force. Seriously, it was just a bunch of random episodes that didn't really add up to an adequate conclusion. Then again, that could just be me._

_Okay, the story begins with the first episode of Alien Force. Ben doesn't get the Omnitrix until later, so it comes as a surprise when he finds that he might have alien powers without it. He meets up with a separate branch of the Plumbers, who were forced to live on Earth due to the fact that their realm was ravaged by war. They worship four gods who created their world, and the gods reincarnate into four children every couple of generations. I'll explain more about them eventually. And what does Ben have to do with all that? You have to read on to find out._

_P.S. I dislike Julie very much, so she's going to have a miniscule role in this. Don't worry about Ship; I have a new owner for him._

_I own nothing except the story. Also, if any of the names sound familiar to you, it's a complete coincidence. *evil grin*_

* * *

><p>Cordelia Valentine was a very busy person. She had just completed a difficult surgery at the hospital where she worked at and was now writing out reports and bills in her office. She had no patience for interruptions, especially interruptions of the freaky variety.<p>

So there was no doubt she had been royally miffed when her Plumber badge beeped, signaling a new transmission.

"What is it?" she snapped, throwing down her pen. Cordelia's beautiful face was screwed up into an ugly frown; the caller would have to be quick to escape her wrath.

It was a message from Max Tennyson. He looked anxious and weary, and he seemed to be hiding behind something. Cordelia's expression refused to change.

"There are new aliens on Earth," Max began curtly. He knew Cordelia and was smart enough not to get on her bad side today.

"And?" Cordelia tapped her desk impatiently.

"It's the High Breeds. I don't know what their planning, but they've been setting up weather stations around Bellwood, turning the climate cold. A lot of top agents have disappeared because of these guys."

Cordelia remained silent. She no longer wore the angry frown on her face, replacing it with a thoughtful expression. "What exactly do you want us to do?" she asked finally.

"Get as many Slayers rounded up as possible. After what I've seen, we have to prepare for the absolute worst." Max suddenly ducked down even father into his hiding spot. Cordelia could hear noises from the other side, and wisely stayed silent so as not to attract attention. After what seemed to be an eternity, Max turned back to her.

"You do realize what this means, don't you?" Cordelia asked, raising an eyebrow. If it was as bad as Max said it was, then it could only mean one thing.

"Yes. Ben Tennyson must wear the Omnitrix again and join forces with the Pride." Max screwed up his face when he said 'Pride'. Cordelia couldn't blame him. She knew what the Pride was capable of, and they were only allowed on normal Plumber missions when it was _really_ bad.

"Do you want me to send in a team to help you?" Cordelia asked politely, even though she knew he would decline. They always did; no one wanted to be indebted to a Slayer.

"No. The DNAliens don't know their being investigated. If they found out a Slayer was checking up on them…" Max shook his head. The noises then appeared again, and Max uttered a curse. "Max out," he whispered, ending the transmission.

Cordelia set down her Plumbers' badge with a sigh. Max had been a great Plumber back in the day; the two of them had occasionally paired up to fight some rogue alien. Therefore, she knew him well enough to know that Max wasn't kidding about the threat these High Breeds, whatever they were, could be.

Cordelia picked up the only picture on her desk. It was a group shot of herself, her husband Isaac, and their granddaughter Carter. Carter looked almost exactly like Cordelia: same slender frame, same translucent skin, same glittering, wolf-gray eyes. She had the Valentine women trademarks: an oval face that ended with a sharp point at the bottom of her chin, and the strange upside down triangle bang that completely covered the left side of her face. The only real difference between the two family members was that Carter's hair was black that ended at the middle of her back, while Cordelia's pure white hair was forced into a loose French braid. Carter did not show any resemblance to Isaac. Isaac was blonde with his hair slicked back to show off his high cheekbones and handsome, pointed face. His eyes were blue with a constant calculating look. He always wore a black three piece suit, and showed off a slight British accent.

And the really weird part? Both Isaac and Cordelia looked to be in their twenties.

Cordelia sighed and put down the picture. The world was screwed up enough as it was; they didn't need any new threats when there were already so many on this planet. She had hoped beyond all reason that by the time her granddaughter was born the world would be a better place. Look at how wrong she was.

She picked up the phone and dialed Isaac's number. He should have been in the training facility by now.

"We have a problem," Cordelia began when her husband picked up the phone.

* * *

><p>"We have a problem," Isaac Valentine repeated to his granddaughter. They were at their home in Isaac's study. The lighting was dim, forcing Carter to blink hard occasionally to focus her eyes. Her grandfather didn't seem to mind.<p>

"Cordelia believes that a certain group of aliens, the High Breeds, are trying to invade Earth," Isaac continued. "Just a few minutes ago she received a transmission from Max Tennyson, who explained the highlights to her." He waited for a reaction. He didn't get one.

"Max believes that the Slayers and the Plumbers have to work together." Now that got a reaction.

"But the Plumbers and Slayers can't work together! We're too different!" Carter protested, banging the palm of her hands onto the desk for emphasis.

"We're two different parts of the same group. This was bound to happen eventually," Isaac reasoned. He was still calmly sitting in his desk chair.

"Max also said that his grandson has to wear the Omnitrix again and that he has to work together with the Pride."

Carter's jaw dropped and she turned even paler. "Doesn't he remember what happened the last time we worked together? We nearly killed him! And do you have any idea how terrible it was?" She shuddered, but refused to show any other sign of weakness.

Isaac held up a hand. "I am perfectly aware of what happened. But Maxwell believes that the High Breeds might be an extreme threat; he wouldn't risk this if it wasn't true."

Carter sucked in a shaky breath. "But what about the Omnitrix? Who has it?"

"I believe either Maxwell or Benjamin has it in their possession." Isaac paused. "Cordelia has an idea…"

"Of course she does."

"Now, sweetheart, this is no time to be angry at your grandmother. Maxwell originally said that Ben and the Pride have to work together to stop the High Breed threat. Cordelia proposed that the Pride should… befriend the boy."

"And how are we supposed to do that?"

"We've taken the liberty of sending you, Sam, and Evan to his high school."

"Are you kidding me?" Carter sputtered. "How are we supposed to explain that three really great friends happen to move to the same exact high school on the same exact day? And you know how much Evan looks like Ben. It's going to raise a lot of questions."

"Whoever said that you were going to transfer on the same day? And don't worry, we'll think up a cover story for you. As for Evan, well, he'll think of something somewhat believable. We've dealt with humans for years, Carter; we know how to trick them.

"You will meet Ben tomorrow at his soccer game. Talk to him after the game and let him know your face so you can meet up at school. Do not meet him outside of school unless he invites you or if we tell you to." Carter nodded in agreement and didn't say anything.

Isaac raised an eyebrow. "What do you want to say?"

"…Do you think he'll recognize me?"

"We wiped his memory of you at the same time we removed the Omnitrix. He really shouldn't, unless _he_ lets him."

Of course, _him_. _He_ was the real reason why they wanted Ben. _He_ would give Ben incredible power, but it would be uncontrollable and dangerous. The Omnitrix would help in controlling some of that power, but _he_ wouldn't like that.

"I understand, Isaac. The Pride will befriend and help Ben Tennyson. Not that we have a choice."

Isaac smirked at Carter's bitter tongue. "Of course you have a choice. You could choose not to, but then you would damn the whole world, and that's not really an option." Isaac suddenly turned serious. "You are a part of the Pride, Carter. You have been chosen among thousands to be considered as the Slayers' greatest weapon. Do not let us down."

Carter gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, and admitted defeat. "I know full well my position, Isaac. I will not let the Valentine name become a joke among the Slayers."

"You don't have to go that far…"

"Do you want to get laughed at?"

"Okay, you have a point. Get some sleep, Carter. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day." Isaac clapped his hands twice, and the room was covered in darkness.

* * *

><p>Ben Tennyson should not have eaten those two slices of cold pizza before bed. But that might not have been enough to explain the dream he was having.<p>

He was standing in a meadow at night. The moonlight cast an eerie glow over everything, giving the grass, flowers, and trees a silvery sheen. The flowers were all random, with varying shades of purple, red, and pink, and everything smelled fresh and clean. He could feel the soft grass underneath his bare feet, which he shouldn't have been able to feel, since this was a dream.

And then he heard the singing. It reminded Ben of a lullaby, sweet and soft. It was in some ancient language, like Latin, or perhaps Ancient Greek. For some reason, he wanted to see who was singing. He began to walk into the very center of the meadow. The moonlight, singing, and the smell of the flowers made everything seem hazy and dreamlike.

A few moments later Ben could see the singer. She was standing in a small clearing, her face raised to the sky. The moonlight pooled around her, giving her an unearthly glow. She was dressed in a long, white dress, and something was sparkling in her dark hair.

Ben didn't want to disturb the singer, but despite not moving, the singer suddenly stopped singing and turned to face him. She beckoned him to join her. Ben had no choice to oblige; seriously, it was like he had no control over his body.

As he got nearer, Ben could make out certain features: The singer had black hair that looked silvery in the moonlight. She had a strange bang that completely covered the left part of her face and that looked suspiciously like a triangle, only upside down, and her skin was as pale as snow. She didn't have any lips, or more like, they were as pale as her skin. Her white dress had a slit on either side of her legs that reached to her thighs. The skirt part was connected to a plain white corset, which was connected to white sleeves that showed off her tiny shoulders. A band of small diamonds encircled her head like a tiara. She suddenly smiled, showing off a sharp canine.

She was the very epitome of beauty, but the only thing Ben could stare at was her eyes. They were the sharpest color of gray he had ever seen. It felt like she looking right through him.

"Do you remember, Ben?" The singer suddenly asked, her smile gone.

Ben started. "Remember what?" he asked dumbly. Her eyes narrowed, making their color seem even sharper.

"Something terrible is about to happen. If you don't remember soon-" She suddenly stopped.

"What? What's going to happen?" Ben asked, suddenly scared. But the singer was starting to fade, her face blurring away. In a second, she was nothing more than a ghost.

"Wait!" Ben called out to her, but it was too late. And with the singer, the meadow had too disappeared. He was now standing in pure darkness.

_**Why can't you remember, Benjamin? **_A voice rang through the darkness, scaring Ben out of his skin. But despite the fear, he was oddly comforted. The voice was warm and strong, despite its sense of urgency.

_**You have to remember, Ben. You don't have much time.**_

_Who are you? Why don't I have time? _Ben thought. He was pretty sure he didn't say that out loud.

_**My name is-**_

Ben shot out of bed just as his alarm clock went off. He was breathing heavily, adrenaline coursing through his veins. After a minute, he began to calm down. _What was all that about?_ Ben wondered as he slowly got dressed into his soccer uniform.

He really should clean his room more often. If he did, then he wouldn't have started sneezing so much. He really didn't need to be slammed into the wall this early in the morning.

_What the hell is going on? _Ben thought as he slumped to the ground. First he started sneezing; it had felt like all the wind had been knocked out of him when he did so. And now he was hurting all over, thinking up a decent excuse to give to his parents for the indent in his wall.

First the voice, now this. Unconsciously, Ben grabbed his left wrist, like he used to. He didn't even remember how he had gotten the Omnitrix off. All he knew that before he did, there was a really bad mission… Ben couldn't remember that well. Now that he thought about it, he didn't remember a lot about his childhood. Why was that?

And now he could barely remember the dream. There was a meadow, singing, a voice… What did it all mean? His eyes widened suddenly; he didn't have time to think about all of this! He had a soccer game today! Ben quickly put on his uniform and went downstairs to breakfast.

His mother was about to call her son down when he came running down the stairs. Sandra Tennyson was a pretty woman with blonde hair and green eyes. She was the New Age type, insisting her son call her by her first name (even though that's kind of weird). Nevertheless, she was a normal mom who had gotten stricter with her son now that he was in high school.

"Honestly, Ben, you need to wake up earlier," Sandra chided as they went into the kitchen. Carl Tennyson, Ben's dad, was already seated at the table, reading the newspaper. Carl was a chubby man with brown hair and eyes. He was less strict with his son and insisted that Sandra back off from time to time to let the boy have some fun. He was only strict when it came to Plumber missions; Ben could remember his dad yelling at his grandpa over the last mission Ben went on, when he had removed the Omnitrix. Ever since then Carl and Max's relationship had been rocky at best, though that fight had happened six years ago.

"Your mother has a point, Ben. You can't miss today's game just because you wanted to watch a bunch of horror movies late at night." Carl set down his newspaper as Ben sat down at the kitchen table. "By the way, I met Mr. Daniels yesterday." Mr. Daniels had been Ben's old guitar and drum tutor. Ben had been going to him for years before he quit. Apparently, taking music lessons during soccer season was bad on one's grades.

"I'll think about going back after soccer's over, Dad," Ben said before Carl could go on. Sandra handed her son a plate of breakfast-which he scarfed down a little too quickly- and was soon off for his soccer game. Unbeknownst to him, he was being shadowed by two people.

Both of them were teenagers, one boy and one girl. The boy had a striking resemblance to Ben, but he still looked different: his skin was tanned, his brown hair was long, going past his shoulders if it wasn't tied up, and his eyes were the color of a lush forest. He was wearing a long-sleeved black shirt under a green shirt with a graphic of a black dragon on the front. His jeans were a bit too big on him, but his black leather belt helped. His black converse sneakers looked new, but they were really secondhand from the Salvation Army store. His companion could only be described in one word: sexy. A red halter top tied at the back of her neck, a tiny black skirt, and red lace-up high-heeled boots up to her knees was her usual outfit. Her figure was buxom, her lips lush and colored with red lip gloss, and her eyes were the color of copper, flecked with green. But her most striking feature was her hair: it looked like fire, all red, orange, and yellow; if the light hit it just right, bystanders could swear the top of her head was bathed in flames.

These two individuals were smothered in the shadows, watching as Ben Tennyson opened his garage door and rode away on his red bike. The boy was the first to speak. "He doesn't look all that different."

"Of course not, Evan. People don't change their appearances that quickly," the redhead who could only be Sam said. "Do you really think he's hiding Ventus? I mean, he showed proof when he still had the Omnitrix, but…"

"You know he's the grandson of Phineas. That's all the proof we need, no matter how little he resembles him," Evan stated. And then something occurred to him. "Do you think if we asked him to play in our band, he would?"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Well, we have to befriend him first, but yeah, I think so. What, does he play an instrument?"

"I think he can play the guitar. But do you really think he remembers what happened? Ventus must be getting pretty angry, all cooped up in Ben's head." Evan chuckled as he imagined the predicament.

Sam, trying to stifle a laugh, admonished him. "Don't let Erda hear you say that. He's in the same situation."

"Don't forget about Kirche and Aquaria," Evan added, pronouncing Kirche as _ker-KAY._

Sam got out her phone from her red purse and looked at the time. "The soccer game doesn't start for another couple hours. Want to call Carter up and have a jam session?"

"Knowing her, she'll be too nervous to even think about singing."

Sam frowned. "Yeah. What were Isaac and Cordelia thinking, having her meet Ben all by herself? They should know that Carter would be the most awkward around him."

"Maybe they really don't know." Sam looked at Evan in disbelief. "Hey, it could happen!" Sam rolled her eyes and punched in the speed dial for Carter's cell.

* * *

><p><strong>A Few Hours Later<strong>

Band practice had not been good. Sure, Carter remembered all of the lyrics, but her voice had been squeaky and high pitched. They stopped for the day when Sam threw her drumsticks at Carter's head.

Carter was alone now at the soccer game, hidden among the many spectators in the bleachers. Ben's team was winning, and the crowd was going crazy. Carter couldn't believe so many people were into high school sports. For her, it was kind of weird.

And now the crowd was going insane; Ben the goalie had just caught the ball at the very last second. His teammates were now lifting the boy up on their shoulders and carrying him off the field. Carter quietly got off the bleachers and tried to avoid the people milling around. She needed to think up what to say to Ben when she introduced herself. Mention his amazing save: yes. Mention that she was new: yes, and definitely true. Admittedly, she had visited Bellwood quite a few times, but she had never gone to school here. In fact, Carter and her grandparents lived in Sterling Hills, a plush community for the super rich, which was outside of Bellwood. That's where anyone would live if their family was full of doctors, not to mention having a ludicrous amount of money from stocks hidden away. Carter sighed. She honestly kind of hated living with her grandparents. Sure, the perks were amazing, but sometimes she wished she could live like a normal human being. And besides, she couldn't just bring any old person to that type of place; some people might take advantage of her immense wealth and use her.

Carter shook her head and tried to clear her head. She needed to focus. She didn't even want to imagine the consequences of failing this mission. She walked out of the stadium and wandered around near the bike racks. Sam and Evan had told her that Ben had ridden a red bike to the game, and sure enough there it was, chained to a bike rack. It was the only one there.

Carter scanned the area with her eyes. She noticed a cute Asian girl in a pink hoodie and white skirt also hanging around. She seemed to be waiting for someone, and made no effort to hide the fact that she was looking for someone still in the stadium.

And then Ben came out, still in his soccer uniform and with a gold medal hanging around his neck. A few people still hanging around after the game walked over to him and congratulated him on his spectacular save. All that praise would inflate Ben's ego, Carter was sure of it. She walked a little ways off from the bike rack so as not to let Ben think she was waiting for him.

Finally Ben came up to unlatch his bike. He walked with a proud swagger, the praise clearly going to his head. Carter went up to him just as he was showing off his medal.

"Oh, sorry, I wasn't showing this off to anybody," Ben started before he got a good look at the girl standing before him. She was wearing a lot of black on a sunny day like this: a black and purple striped long-sleeved shirt under a black Linkin Park band tee shirt, black combat boots and black and purple striped stockings. The stockings were thigh high, leading up to a tiny black skirt; the combination looked a lot like Starfire's skirt and boots combo from the cartoon _Teen Titans_. The girl's face was oval, and her skin was deathly pale. Her lips were as pale as her skin, so she would have to wear lipstick for people to see her lips. Her hair was black also, and looked silvery in the sunlight. Her strangest feature was her bang; it looked like a triangle, only upside down, and it completely covered the left side of her face, even the left eye. Ben only had a second to wonder how she got it to be like that when he noticed her uncovered eye. It was the sharpest color of gray he had ever seen, and he couldn't help but stare into it. He could've sworn he had seen that eye before somewhere.

"Yes, I could tell by your swagger that you clearly didn't want to show that MVP medal off to someone," the beautiful girl said sarcastically, but not in a mean way. She offered a hand. "I'm Carter. I just moved here."

Ben shook Carter's hand and introduced himself. "So what made you come to game?" he asked.

"I wanted to know if my school had a winning soccer team," Carter answered not untruthfully. What could she say? She really did hate to lose.

Ben smiled. "You go to my school?" It was very clear what was going through his mind.

"I _will_ go to your school, starting next week. But I'm not the only one. I know a few other people who are also new here, so don't count me out as the only new kid here," Carter corrected. Again, she wasn't lying. Evan and Sam were coming with her to school next week. Isaac, in a humorous mood, decided to transfer them in at the same time after all.

"Something tells me you'll need someone to show you around," Ben stated, attempting to sound flirtatious.

"You would do that for a bunch of people you barely know?" Carter asked. She wanted to hear this answer.

"Why not? I can stack it up as good karma." Carter smirked. If karma really existed, then Carter should have been struck by terrible luck years ago.

"Why not?" Carter repeated. "It's not like we have anything better to do than get lost on our first day of school." Ben laughed at her sense of humor.

"Well, I got to go. I need to show this to my grandpa. I hope I see you around school." Ben hopped on his bike and rode away. "It was nice talking with you!" Carter waved. Ben turned around long enough to wave back.

Well, that went better than she expected. Evan was right. Being yourself never hurt. Carter smiled triumphantly because now the first mission was over and done with. She turned back and started walking in the opposite direction of Ben and noticed the cute Asian girl still hanging around. She was partially hidden away because of the trees in the background, but it was obvious she had been waiting for her chance to talk to Ben. The girl ducked behind a tree, but Carter had already noticed her.

Carter felt a twinge of guilt, but quickly suppressed it. The mission came before personal feelings. That was how she had been trained, and that was how she had to continue. She only hoped she wouldn't become too friendly with Ben before he realized the truth.

* * *

><p>Ben quickly rode away to the trailer park. He was totally stoked over the game, not to mention that he had hit it off with a beautiful girl like Carter. But why did she seem so familiar? Did it have something to do with his dream earlier? Ben didn't dwell on that for long, though. He had to meet his grandpa and show him the medal.<p>

Ben rode into the trailer park to his grandfather's RV, only to see that it had been totally trashed. Worried, Ben picked up the fake rock Max used to hide his key. Unlocking the door, Ben stepped inside and surveyed the damage.

The inside was even worse than the outside. Nearly all of the machines had been destroyed, and there was no sign of Grandpa Max. Ben quickly checked the bathroom and found nothing. _He must have left a message, _he thought to himself. There was only one place Ben could think of. Back near the driver's seat were three buttons, one green, one blue, and one red. Ben quickly pressed a combination and heard the sounds of something being ejected from behind him.

He was right. Near the sink the cupboards had disappeared to make room for a capsule. There was a transmitter on the side of it, facing Ben. He grabbed it and immediately a holographic image of Grandpa Max appeared.

"Ben, if you're watching this then that means I'm no longer safe in my own home. There's been some trouble around Bellwood of the alien variety. The High Breeds are creating something devastating on Earth, and I honestly fear the worst. I'm not sure why they're here, but I have to investigate. But just in case I can't stop them, I need you to help. That means you have to put on the Omnitrix again. I know I promised your father I wouldn't make you do so, but I wouldn't do this unless we really don't have a choice.

"One more thing: _you need to find the Slayers_. The Slayers are a separate branch of the Plumbers and, quite frankly, they would rather stay that way. But I fear the High Breeds might be too much of a threat for just us. The Slayers can be hard to trust; they always seem to have a hidden agenda for every little thing. But if you convince them to help you, they _will _become your greatest ally. Trust your instincts and follow your gut. Remember that. The Omnitrix should be included with this message. Max out." The hologram blinked out, leaving Ben in near darkness.

Ben looked at the capsule. He could barely make out something from inside it. He slipped the transmitter into the pocket of his green shorts, then reached into the capsule and clamped onto the Omnitrix. Nostalgia hit Ben like a tidal wave; all of those awesome memories fighting with this thing…but he still couldn't figure out how he had gotten it off. Seriously, why was there such a huge gap in his memory?

But forget about that. What was he supposed to do? If his dad found out that Grandpa Max made him wear the Omnitrix again, their already rocky relationship would be over. But if he didn't, the world might be in danger. And then Ben remembered all the fun he had with the Omnitrix when he wasn't risking his life. Oh, hell yes, he was going to put it on again!

Not even caring about the consequences, Ben slipped on the Omnitrix. It glowed blue for a second, then became smaller and thinner and it looked more like a watch. "Well that's new," was all Ben could say when he examined the aliens. They were all completely different from the original ten. Ben chose one at random and felt the metamorphosis begin.

Ben was bigger and greener now and he honestly smelled quite bad. He slowly walked to the bathroom to look at himself. He had yellow eyes, and his hair looked similar to a campfire. He looked like a flaming plant. Ben held out his hand and instinctively summoned some type of energy to flow through it. A small burst of flame escaped from his palm and grew bigger with each passing second. In fear of further wrecking the Rust Bucket, Ben tried to put out the flame, but was startled to find out that it kept growing bigger. He had no choice; he had to get out of there.

Ben ran out of the bathroom and out the Rust Bucket. No one was around to see his alien form, so Ben threw the growing fireball at the nearest tree. The tree exploded and was left a burning mess. Ben sighed with relief, but then saw that some of the flames had gotten onto the grass.

"Crap!" Ben cursed as he tried to stomp out the flames. And then a thought occurred to him. Ben now looked like a plant, so maybe he could control plants? It was worth a shot. Ben summoned his will and directed it towards what was left of the tree. Vines shot out of the ground and wrapped the tree in a cocoon. What was left of the fire had died out on the grass.

"Okay, that was dangerous. I'm glad Gwen wasn't here to see that," Ben said to himself. Gwen! He totally forgot about her! Chances were she didn't know what happened to Grandpa. She should still be at karate practice, but how was he going to get there? It wasn't like he could waltz in there in alien form.

And then the watch timed out, reverting Ben back into human form. "It timed out already?" Ben wondered incredulously. But the watch was still growing green. So that meant that he could go back to being human whenever he wanted! Sweet!

Ben hopped on his bike and sped away home. He had to change out of sweaty soccer uniform and into his normal clothes: cotton black t-shirt, jeans, converse sneakers, and a green jacket with a white stripe on the left side going through a white ten in a black circle. After that he could meet up with Gwen and discuss what to do next. There was no way he could do this without his cousin, no matter how dweebish she was.

Adrenaline raced through his veins as he imagined what the other aliens could do. A huge grin spread across his face. Forget the medal; Ben 10 was back and better than ever!

…Probably.

* * *

><p><em>Just for the sake of my sanity, when I'm talking about the Carter or any of the other Valentines, I'll just say "eyes" plural. They all have a pair of eyes, one is just covered up, but it'll be really confusing just to say "eye" singular. Also, Ben<em>can_play the guitar and drums, but they only showed it in one episode in the original series. Why they didn't add that in the spin-off series is beyond me._

_I don't really have a schedule for this, so if you have to wait a really long time for an update, I apologize in advance. Remember to read and review, please!_


	2. Kevin Makes His Debut

Chapter 2: Kevin Makes His Debut

_Saw the series finale for Ultimate Alien. I have to say Man of Action did a pretty good job of it, considering the Ben 10 franchise is supposed to be for kids. I loved the flashback scene; very touching. But they all forgot about Vilgax. I mean, seriously? He's the evil overlord that tried to kill Ben for years. How do you forget someone like that? And I don't know about you, but I am not looking forward to Ben 10: Omniverse. The story line kind of sucks. But, knowing me, I'll watch it anyway._

_Anyway, I own nothing except the plot. So there._

* * *

><p>"What do you think he means by Slayers? Like vampire slayers?" Gwen asked after seeing Max's transmission. Ben had showered, changed, and ridden to his cousin's karate lessons just as she was about to leave and showed her the message. They were now sitting on the bleachers, contemplating their next course of action.<p>

"I seriously don't think vampires exist. And Grandpa said that their Plumbers, but they don't get along with the Plumbers we know." Ben furrowed his brow. He really didn't understand it that well. All he knew was that Grandpa Max needed his help with an alien problem and that he needed to contact an unfriendly batch of Plumbers.

"But why make you where the Omnitrix again? You know how difficult it was to get it off." Gwen glared at Ben. She had been pissed when she found out that Ben just threw away his normal life without talking to her first.

"How did I get the Omnitrix off in the first place, Gwen?"

"God, you're a dweeb. You can't even remember…" Gwen trailed off. She narrowed her eyes, as if she was trying to remember something. "You know what? I can't remember either."

"Who's the dweeb now?"

"Be serious for once. You took off the Omnitrix when your dad got angry about that last mission. What happened with that?" Gwen asked, grabbing Ben's arm and examining the Omnitrix. It didn't look like it had separated from Ben's wrist…

"That's just it, Gwen. I don't remember a thing about that. And if you don't…" Ben shook his head. "Do you think these Slayer people have any idea?" Ben cradled the transmitter in his palm.

"What makes you think the Slayers have anything to do with it?" Gwen asked, raising an eyebrow. Where was he going with this?

"I'm just grasping at straws here, but I thought that maybe we teamed up with a group of Slayers back when we were kids and that maybe they know what happened."

"Not a bad train of thought, but what makes you think we teamed up with any other group?"

"I just told you, moron. I was grasping at straws." The two cousins glared at each other, each tiring of their years of rivalry. Gwen broke the staring contest first with a sigh. "What?" Ben asked.

"I was just wondering how we were going to help Grandpa, that's all." Gwen pushed a lock of red hair behind her ear. She had changed out of her karate uniform and into a white dress shirt under a blue sweater, a black skirt, black tights, and high-heeled shoes. She was tired from the karate lesson and she just wanted to go home and sleep.

"I don't know, Gwen. Maybe there'll be a lead somewhere in the communication network." Ben started playing with his Omnitrix. "Maybe I can use the Omnitrix-"

Suddenly the back door banged open, and a man encased in shadow walked through. "The Omnitrix ain't for you, kid," the man said as he started walking to the two teens.

"Oh, yeah? Who says?" Ben threatened.

"This is no time to be an idiot," Gwen scolded him. They both jumped off the bleachers and started running to the side door, only to find it locked.

"Fan-tucking-fastic," Ben remarked sarcastically as he hopelessly tried to open it.

The man was slowly walking closer to them, but now he was brandishing a gun. "Dammit!" Ben swore as he turned around to face the enigmatic man.

"I don't know how you got the Omnitrix, but if you don't give it back…" The man warned, pointing the gun at Ben.

"Too late, creep! I already put it on! And how do you know about the Omnitrix?" Ben demanded. He waved a hand over the dial, threatening to turn into… well, anything that would help.

In response, the man took off his disguise. He glowed blue for a second when he took off the mask, and then he showed his true form: a brown fish face with yellow eyes, and his body was encased in a white suit, with a glass helmet protecting his head.

"That's disgusting," was Ben's ingenious comment. He tried to pick an alien from the Omnitrix, only to have Fish Face shoot him with a gun. The beam was infrared; alien technology, probably standard Plumber issue. Luckily the beam was aimed near the feet, so Ben wasn't hurt.

"Don't make me use this on you," Fish Face warned, the barrel of his gun steaming.

Gwen decided to take action. She was up in the air, on a pink energy step, her hands glowing. "I'll take it from here," Gwen said, and fired an orb of-what else? - pink energy at the fish alien. It crashed into him, and the sound of breaking glass could be heard, but it was just from Gwen's spell. While Fish Face was disoriented, Gwen gestured to the wall, and a sheet of energy glided to the fazed alien, wrapping him in a lock. Gwen lifted him into the air with her hand while he struggled.

"When did you get so good?" Ben asked as he walked up to his cousin.

"Just because you had a normal life doesn't mean I did," Gwen answered, keeping an eye on the struggling alien.

Ben turned to him. "I want answers, now. Let's start with the usual: who are you?"

"I'm a Plumber. I'm part of the intergalactic law enforcement organization known as the Plumbers."

"I know who they are. My Grandpa Max used to be an active one a while back."

A look of realization spread on the alien's face. "You're Max's grandkid?"

"Correction: grand_kids_," Gwen said. "I'm Gwen, and he's Ben." She pointed to him.

"Ben Tennyson?" the alien asked, getting his first good look at the boy. "I thought you disappeared."

"I kind of did for a while," Ben shrugged, and then turned serious. "How do you know my grandfather?"

"I was working the same case with him. I'm Magister Labrid. If you let me down, I can explain more about the mission." Gwen and Ben looked at each other.

"I think he's telling the truth," Gwen thought out loud. She gently put the Magister on the ground before the energy lock fizzled out.

"Did Max go missing?" Ben asked immediately. Labrid looked surprised.

"Yes, during the mission. Did he contact you?" Ben held out the transmitter.

"He left me a message. He said something about the High Breeds who were creating weather towers around here."

"That's a lot to put in just a message," Labrid mused. "What he said is true, though. A lot of top agents have died because of these guys. They've been cloaking their weather towers and turning the climate cold in secret. They also have a bunch of lackeys to do the dirty work for them, but I don't know what to call them."

"What do they look like?" Gwen asked.

"Ugly octopus-like things that shoot green blobs from their mouths." Labrid shuddered. "Nasty pieces of work. Did he tell you anything else?" The Magister pointed to the transmitter.

"He told me to team up with the Slayers, whoever they are." Labrid closed his eyes and shook his head.

"That idiot," he hissed to himself.

"No one talks about my grandpa that way!" Ben said angrily. He was prepared to go full alien on his ass, but Gwen stopped him.

"No turning alien! Do you want to wreck the place?" She glared at the two of them. "Why are these Slayers so bad?" Gwen asked Magister Labrid, who had recovered from the shock.

"They're not bad per se. They usually work the same cases as normal Plumbers, finding new threats and stopping them. Their success rate is off the charts. But…"

"But…" Ben wanted to get on with this.

Labrid swallowed before continuing. "Simply put, they're vigilantes. If they believe that someone has escaped justice, they will make it their mission to murder them in the quickest way possible. Normal Plumbers don't do that; we believe in fair trial for the accused. Another thing… is that if they are allowed to work normal Plumber missions, they tend to play hard cop, giving the interrogated severe mental and physical scarring." The Magister looked around nervously, like he was afraid of being overheard.

Ben was having a hard time absorbing all of this. The Slayers played hard ball, sure, but they didn't sound totally horrible. Well, except maybe for the interrogation and murder part, but still… "Are they really that bad?" he asked.

"Consider yourself lucky that you've never seen them in action." Labrid continued examining the place; Gwen and Ben exchanged looks.

"Why are you so worried?" Gwen asked.

"The Slayers have a tendency of always knowing what's going on in the universe. If something freaky happens, they're always the first to know." Labrid looked at Ben. "Are you curious to see the aliens who probably took your grandfather?"

"Hell yes! Where are they?" "They're going to be at a train yard later tonight. Probably an illegal alien tech deal or something. If we use my Plumber ship, we can get there in time to bust them up." The Magister held up a set of keys.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Ben walked up to Labrid. Gwen was more skeptical. Why did the Magister shift gears like that? If he was so afraid of being overheard, then why did he tell them anything at all? But then she thought of her grandpa, healthy and safe and close by. _If this Magister guy tries anything funny, Ben and I can take him, _Gwen thought as she joined Ben and Labrid. _I don't think he's playing us, though,_ Gwen continued to think as the three of them walked out of the school. _But I seriously doubt these Slayer people have eyes everywhere. There's no way they know what we're doing._

* * *

><p>Isaac and Cordelia Valentine were in their study, watching Magister Labrid's Plumber ship fly to the train yard. Labrid had been right to be worried; the Slayers' robotic trackers were top-notch when it came to spyware, letting the user hear and see-in color, no less- what was going on in the universe.<p>

So it would be an understatement to say that the Slayers had eyes everywhere.

"What should we do?" Isaac asked his wife. Even when he was at home, he wore a black three-piece suit. Unlike most men nowadays, he actually looked comfortable in it.

"We'll send a tracker to see how it's going. If it gets really bad, we can teleport someone to help. Ben does have the Omnitrix on again, though, so I don't think we'll need to." Cordelia was also in her work clothes: a starched white dress shirt with a black form-fitting business coat with matching skirt, and black high-heeled shoes. She had her white hair loose and straight, and it was a stark contrast to her clothing choices.

The giant screen in front of them changed scenes. It showed the inside of the Plumber ship, with Ben annoying Magister Labrid and Gwen checking out the controls. Isaac, who had the remote in his hand, zoomed in on Ben's face.

"I wonder how Ventus is doing, being cooped up in his head," Isaac thought out loud.

Cordelia smirked. "Benjamin is an obnoxious child. I doubt Ventus is happy being stuck with him. I do wonder why Phineas refused to let us train him, though."

"Ben has too much power. Not only does he have the Omnitrix and Ventus, he also might have dormant Anodite powers. If Azmuth found out about it, he might take the Omnitrix away."

"In that case, we can just train Ben to use his full potential."

Isaac shook his head. "It's more complex than that. If Ben doesn't have the Omnitrix, then someone like Vilgax will take it and use it to cause war and needless bloodshed. Ben is the only person we can trust to use the Omnitrix for good, and even then it's rather a slim chance."

"Our best hope is a human," Cordelia sneered. "Who would have thought?"

"God, you're judgmental."

"If you've lived as long as I have, you would be too."

Isaac sighed and pressed the zoom out button on the remote. "Why did you plan the Pride to befriend the boy first instead of, you know, just telling him outright?"

"Well, for one thing, if we just told him without prepping him first, he wouldn't believe us. And if the kids gain his trust, then maybe he'll be more willing to help us in the future."

"And if that doesn't work? What will you do then?"

"I'll improvise."

"I swear that's your answer for everything."

"Shut up and turn up the volume."

* * *

><p>Ben, Gwen, and Magister Labrid were hiding out behind some crates in the train yard when they saw the Forever Knights.<p>

"What are the Forever Knights doing here?" Gwen asked quietly, since the three of them were trying to be sneaky.

"This is an alien tech deal. Obviously they want to use alien technology to wipe out all alien life forms on Earth." Ben shook his head. "Hypocrites." And then two trucks pulled up, one red, one white. A second later, a green sports car pulled up as well, and coming out of the driver's seat was the last person Ben ever expected to see.

"Kevin Levin! I thought he was in the Null Void!" Ben exclaimed.

"He did his time and got out a while back," Labrid explained. "He's probably the middle man here." The Forever Knights were cloaked in red, and one of them walked up to Kevin and handed him a suitcase.

Kevin opened it, looked inside, and told his associates, "The money's all here." They unloaded a crate, and set it on the ground. Kevin gave the money back to the guy in red and they followed him to the crate. Kevin opened one of them and got out a laser cannon of sorts.

"Just what you ordered: top of the line laser lances. It's good for thirty-five minutes of continuous fighting at point-six terawatts." Kevin walked a ways closer to a lone green truck and aimed his lance at it. He fired at it, and a red beam of pure laser burst out. The flames held for a second on the truck, and then it exploded. "Tell me, is that good, or what?"

"That's level five technology! This planet can only support level two!" Magister Labrid yelled out, completely blowing their cover. He jumped over the crates with his badge and gun in his hands and walked towards the criminals. With no choice, Ben and Gwen followed him and prepared to fight.

Kevin's associates all threw off their masks and revealed their octopus heads. "That's disgusting," Gwen remarked, saying exactly what Ben said earlier.

"I know, right?" For probably the first time, the two cousins actually agreed on something.

The aliens were getting closer. Labrid decided to do the only thing he could with these odds; he fired his laser at the ground, creating a line of fire. The aliens drew back, but that wouldn't stand for long.

"Where are the Knights?" Ben asked Labrid.

"Right behind us," Gwen answered for him. The Forever Knights were taking off their cloaks and were revealing their armor. Some of them held laser lances.

"Crap," was Ben's ingenious response. Already his hand was at his wrist, and he was looking for a decent alien. Of course, he only knew one. "It's hero time!" he said his catchphrase as he slammed down the dial.

Once again he was flaming plant, but that was fine. The aliens before him were shrinking back because of the stink, and with the Magister's help, he was able to subdue them with some fire blasts. They tried to get away in the white truck, but Ben lifted a crate and threw it at them, hitting them in the windshield. They truck fell on its side due to the impact, but Ben couldn't finish them off yet.

Gwen was having some problems with the Forever Knights. She was trying to shield herself from the laser lances, but they were breaking through her defenses. The Magister shot a few of them, but it wasn't enough. Ben used his plant power to ensnare them in vines, but one of them shot him, ripping off his arm. But Swampfire (that was this alien's name now) came with a few tricks. A vine grew out of the severed arm and clung to Ben, and it slowly reattached itself to the rest of the body.

"That was cool," Ben said before he was about to lay into the Forever Knights. But before he could get to them, Kevin literally swooped down from above in front of Ben.

"Hey, Tennyson. Sorry to barge in, but I got a score to settle with you." Behind him, the Forever Knights were getting away with the illegal alien tech.

"Is now really the time, Kevin?" Ben asked angrily as he watched them retreat.

"Well, considering that I don't know when I'll next see you, yeah, it really is the time."

"What do you want?"

"Revenge: you turned me into a freak, trapped me in the Null Void for all those years, and you ruined my deal today. It's time for some payback."

"Two of those you did to yourself. The third wasn't exactly my fault."

Kevin touched a hand to the train tracks in front of him and absorbed the steel. In a matter of seconds, his body was encased in steel armor. "Does it look like I care?" Before Ben could respond, he slammed his fist into his stomach, only to have his fist lodged into it. Ben slammed the sides of Kevin's head with his palms, and then he punched Kevin into a pile of crates, ripping his hand out and leaving a gaping hole in his stomach. The hole healed itself, filling in with vines.

Ben heard the sounds of a truck starting. It was the octopus aliens and the Forever Knights, taking off with the money and the alien tech. But Ben had more pressing matters to attend to, for Kevin had launched a wooden crate at him. The crate landed on top of him, crushing him with its weight. Kevin walked up to the carnage, absolutely glowing with victory. But Ben wouldn't die that quickly. Vines erupted from the soil between Kevin's feet, and almost instantaneously, Ben had been re-grown behind Kevin.

Ben punched Kevin, who staggered from the pain. Disorientated, Kevin tried to lift a truck to throw at Ben, but Ben shot a few fire balls at the truck, making the thing explode. Kevin's armor disappeared before he hit the ground, and in just a moment, he was out cold.

* * *

><p>"Looks like Ventus hasn't made contact yet," Isaac remarked. The two of them were still in their study, but now they had a tray of delicacies and some red wine to tide them over. Even when they were eating snacks they were refined.<p>

"Oh, he probably has, but it had to have been before Ben put on the Omnitrix," Cordelia countered, watching the screen. Magister Labrid was now putting on some energy cuffs on an unconscious Kevin to stop him from absorbing anything. "Now it's going to be much harder for him to talk to the boy."

"I don't know about that. Reports have said that Ventus had been able to contact Benjamin back when he was ten."

"True, but Ben is now almost an adult. And if he turns into an adult before he gets his powers…"

"Then Ventus won't be able to come back this generation," Isaac finished for her. He slowly shook his head. "So much power, and yet it must be contained in a human vessel. On the plus side, now all the gods have limitations that they have to abide by to live."

"Especially the four main gods," Cordelia smirked. Aquaria, Erda, Kirche, and Ventus: the strongest gods in Slayer mythology, forced to live in the body of children. All the minor gods were stuck in the same predicament, but they were just that; minor. It must be especially tough for the major gods.

"What do you plan for the Pride to do next, Cordelia?" Isaac asked his wife. She downed an entire glass of wine before answering.

"Have the Pride befriend the boy like before. I suspect Carter has a plan to explain the Slayer history without her having to actually talk about it. Where is she, by the way?"

"Last time I checked, she was with Evan and Sam in the training facility."

"Good. They haven't slacked on their training." Cordelia turned to the monitor just in time to see Kevin beginning to wake up. "Ooh, turn up the volume. Things are getting interesting again." She poured herself another glass of wine.

"We are horrible people," Isaac laughed.

"I know, right? Could you pass the _pate_? I'm famished!"

* * *

><p>When Kevin awoke, he was staring into a pair of beautiful, emerald green eyes.<p>

Why did it have to be Ben?

He tried to punch him, but he had energy cuffs strapped to his wrists. "Nothing for you to absorb, kid," Labrid told him. He held up a laser lance. "This is level five technology. It shouldn't even be on this planet."

"What's your point?"

"The point is that you're going back to the Null Void if you don't help us," Ben said. Gwen walked over and put a hand on Kevin's shoulder.

"A lot of people could be hurt, Kevin," she said softly. Kevin turned to her and widened his eyes. She was beautiful, to say the least, and her eyes were the loveliest shade of green he had ever seen.

"Are you going to help us find the Forever Knights or not?" Ben asked roughly. Kevin smiled and stood up, a no easy feat with bound hands.

"I would be happy to help you find those bastards. They took off without even paying me. We can ride in my car." He gestured to the left, where his green Dodge Challenger was parked. It had been miraculously spared from the fighting earlier.

"You lead," the Magister said, pointing his laser at Kevin so he wouldn't try anything funny. Still with his salesman smile plastered on his face, Kevin led the team to his car. As Magister Labrid took off the energy cuffs, Ben could hear something.

_**Not bad, Benjamin. A little rusty, but you prove quite adept at using the new Omnitrix.**_

Ben shook his head, but it didn't do any good. The voice still echoed inside his head. And then it hit him; _it was the scary voice from his dream._

_**Scary, am I? **_The voice chuckled. _**I suppose you would think that. But you have no reason to be afraid, Ben. I am your greatest ally, even if you don't know my name yet.**_

"You coming, Tennyson?" Gwen asked her cousin. The three of them were already inside the car, waiting for him. In response, Ben clamored into the backseat, still reeling over the fact that he was _freaking crazy_.

_**Don't say that, Ben. You're not crazy at all.**_

_Who are you? _Ben thought directly to the voice as Kevin started the ignition.

_**I told you. I am your greatest ally, the one you can always rely on when you have no one else.**_

_Can you tell me your name?_

_**I am Ventus, lord of the sky.**_ And then he stayed silent, with Ben freaking out. Not only did he have a voice in his head, but it called itself a lord. A freaking lord! Did it consider itself a god or something?

But Ben couldn't dwell on it. They had a mission to take care of. He would take care of the monsters in his head later.

* * *

><p>"Looks like Ventus has made contact."<p>

"Yes. Hopefully Ben doesn't try to pry answers out of him yet."

"Cordelia, he's bound to be curious about a voice in his head. Of _course_ he's going to want answers."

"Ventus better not reveal too much too soon. It could be disastrous."

"Like the fall of the Roman Empire disastrous, or 'aliens taking over the world' disastrous?"

"…I actually don't know which is worse. Probably the latter."

"So you're saying the fall of the Roman Empire wasn't that bad?"

"…Shut up and eat your _pate_."

"That's what I thought."

* * *

><p><em>Okay, I'll try to keep the chapters close to the original episodes as I can, save for a few things. Maybe I'll do a couple of filler chapters, just for fun.<em>

_Remember to read and review!_


	3. First Days Are The Worst

Chapter 3: First Days Are Always the Worst

_I reread the last chapter, and I noticed that I may have accidentally given the impression that this was a Bevin story. IT'S NOT, and I apologize if I made it seem that way. I was actually aiming for some light comedy. It's more of a BenxOC type of thing. As for Kevin, well, I might not make him totally fall for Gwen just yet. I want to experiment and see if Kevin would be better suited for someone else._

_Insert disclaimer here._

* * *

><p>"Magister Labrid's dead?" Sam asked upon hearing the news. She, along with Carter and Evan, were in the Valentine study. They had just come back from the training facility and were still wearing the dojo uniform: black bandages encircling the arms and legs, red Capri pants that were jagged and ripped up at the end, and a short sleeved shirt similar to the shirt of a karate <em>gi,<em> but red with a black dragon graphic on the back. All three students had black belts tied around their lithe waists. All three were barefoot.

"Yes. He died from a Forever Knight attack in one of their castles. The three of them then continued to find the High Breed ship and destroy it before the High Breeds destroyed a hospital and everything within a five mile radius. The three of them also decided to become a permanent team," Isaac added, basically summing up what happened in the last few hours. Cordelia was standing next to the desk, hiding away the screen where they saw the Magister die into the floor.

"What do you want us to do?" Evan asked his mentor. Isaac was calmly sitting on the desk chair, gauging the reactions of the three students in front of him. He had trained well; they didn't show any emotion concerning the report.

"The same as before: allow Ben Tennyson to show you around school, find some common ground, and then befriend him," Cordelia said for her husband, no longer concerned about the video screen.

"What do we do if aliens attack?" Carter asked. The question had popped up in her mind during training.

"Try to let Ben and his team handle it. If it continues to be a problem, reveal your powers and help, but say nothing about the original goal. Just say that you were sent here because of a possible alien threat, or something along those lines," Isaac continued. He reached for a pen to write with before asking, "Have you thought of a way to let Ben know about the origin of the Slayers without talking out loud?"

"Actually, yes," Carter said almost proudly. "I bring a history book about the Slayers to school and try to lend it to him. If he reads it, not only will it answer whatever questions he might have at this point, but it'll save a lot of time for explanations."

"How do you know he'll read the book?" Cordelia smirked. It was always fun embarrassing her granddaughter like this. Unfortunately, she had been prepared for such a comment.

"A pretty girl gave it to him. Of course he'll read it to make sure that we have a common interest," Carter shot back. Evan and Sam smiled deviously; they often did that in situations like this.

"Good girl," Cordelia said happily. She often tested her family with questions like this, to remind them how easy it could be to trick humans. All humans liked beautiful things; they would never suspect that someone as beautiful as a Valentine could do so much harm.

"Any questions?" Isaac asked, wanting to conclude the meeting so he could continue to write. The three teens shook their heads.

"Then go back to the training facility."

The three teens walked through the dark hallways of the Valentine's Victorian style house, making sure to not touch any of the priceless artifacts along the walls: ancient swords, famous paintings, museum style pieces that cost a large fortune. Carter led the way, even though her two friends new the household as well as she did.

They neared the front doors, which were made of solid oak, giving the house a haunted feeling. Leading from the entrance was a large painting of Cordelia and Isaac, with Cordelia sitting in a wooden chair, her hair straight and loose, her renaissance corset dress a blood red. Isaac was standing, both hands behind his back, with his usual black three piece suit impeccable. Both were smiling, but Cordelia's smile looked somewhat vicious.

Behind this portrait was a door, which led into a tunnel to the underground. There the three teens walked the steel floors to the underground training facility of the Slayers, a labyrinth of death and pain. Thousands of rooms to cater for every need, from a weapons field, to an alchemy lab, to even a library on magic. From the way Evan, Sam, and Carter were dressed, they were going to train again in the dojo, where Sam's family had instructed new Slayers for years.

They walked down seemingly endless hallways to the dojo, which looked pretty ordinary, save for how empty it was. Mats littered the floor, and the walls were whitewashed. When the three of them entered, the lights went on immediately. Sam and Evan immediately went to the center, while Carter stood around to observe the match.

Without a second's warning, they attacked each other, Sam aiming high, Evan aiming low. Sam nearly hit Evan in the head, but he caught her by the foot. Not to be deterred, Sam kicked him in the shoulder, forcing him to let go. He quickly rolled to the side, and swept his legs underneath Sam. She jumped up, and landed on Evan's chest, feet near his throat.

But Evan wasn't down yet. With a quick jab, he hit her behind the knees, forcing her to bend. Taking the moment of weakness, Evan threw Sam off of him, and then punched her in the gut. Despite the pain, Sam grabbed his arm and locked him in place, with one arm behind his back. She then threw him downward head first, and slammed his face into the mats, nearly suffocating the boy.

"Winner: Sam!" Carter called out, ending the near death match. Sam released her hold on Evan, and he came up, gasping for air. He cleared the way for the next match.

Carter didn't give Sam a chance to get ready. She leapt at her, aiming for the throat. Sam intercepted and grabbed her arms, throwing Carter to the ground. Carter quickly kicked Sam's legs roughly, tripping her. She then held her neck in a choke hold, but Sam elbowed Carter's stomach roughly, sending her reeling.

Sam then lifted Carter in the air, and threw her head first to the ground. But before she could finish the attack, Carter slithered out of her grip and landed toes first on the floor. She once again aimed for the throat, but Sam jabbed a finger at Carter's arms, hitting the nerve tendons. Arms useless, she tried to use her feet, but Sam pushed her to the ground, savagely holding Carter's throat, nearly choking her.

"Winner and undisputed champion: Sam!" Evan announced before Sam could accidentally kill her best friend. Sam released her grip and helped Carter to her feet. Sam hadn't hit her arms that hard; already there was feeling, though it was mostly pain.

"I think we're done here," Evan thought, desperately wanting a nap.

"Agreed," the girls said. They went out of the dojo to change clothes, and as they walked to the changing rooms, they joked around like regular teenagers, like the fact that two of them had nearly died never happened.

* * *

><p>It was now Sunday morning, and Ben should be asleep. He had snuck into his room last night without alerting his parents and had attempted to sleep. But he had been plagued of nightmares about Grandpa Max and what he must be going through, not to mention that he was worried about the voice in his head. Ventus had only spoken to Ben twice, once after Kevin had attacked him, and once to comfort him after Magister Labrid died. <em><strong>It wasn't your fault that he died, Benjamin, <strong>_he had said soothingly. _**But if it makes you feel any better, then complete the mission, for his sake.**_

And so Ben did; he found and stopped the High Breeds and the so-called DNAliens from attacking a hospital and destroying everything within a five mile radius. But he still didn't find Grandpa. What was he supposed to do without him?

_You're Ben Tennyson. You can do anything._ Those were Magister Labrid's final words to him when Ben had voiced his doubts. And he was right. Ben Tennyson could do anything. But for now, he had to deal with his parents. He quickly dressed and went downstairs to face their anger.

Sandra was downstairs waiting for him; Carl was probably still asleep. "Where were you?" she immediately asked him before he got into the kitchen.

"Grandpa's missing," Ben said without thinking. Well, it wasn't a lie. Still, he should warn Gwen about what he'd done.

The anger almost completely went out of Sandra. "What?" she asked, bewildered.

"Yesterday, after the game, I went to his RV to show him the medal," Ben explained. "When I got there, it was totally trashed. I looked inside, but couldn't find him. So I called up Gwen and we went around town looking for him. We were so worried about him that we forgot to call."

Sandra sat back down, trying to take in the news. She had always liked Max, despite how strange he was, and she knew the kids loved him dearly. But she also knew that Carl hadn't really talked to his father in years and wouldn't be happy that his son went out looking for him without calling anyone.

"I know how much you love your Grandpa, but you have to remember to call so we don't worry about you, okay? I'll talk to your father about what we should do. In the meantime, you should eat something." His mother kissed her son's forehead and quickly went upstairs. Ben heaved a sigh of relief and went to get some cereal. He hated not telling his parents the truth, but he didn't have a choice.

After about the first bowl of cereal, Carl came down. Ben couldn't tell if his father was angry or not. "Is it true? Is dad…missing?" he said quietly. Ben just nodded and poured himself another bowl of Lucky Charms (because it's good, dammit!)

Carl heaved himself into a chair, his head down. After a bit, he looked up again and said, "I'm going to check out the RV later, see if there's anything that can lead to his whereabouts. Then I'm going to call the police and have them search for him. But knowing him he's just hiding out in some highway restaurant." Carl shook his head. "Just wasting our time, as usual."

"Don't talk about him like that!" Ben slammed his spoon down, glaring at his father. Carl started, not used to this type of behavior. "Just because you can't stand him doesn't mean I do!"

"You think I hate my own father?" Carl accused.

"Hello? You've barely talked to him for six years! Of course I would think that!" Ben said, exasperated.

"That's because he put you in a dangerous situation!"

"One that I can't even remember!"

Carl blinked. "You don't?"

"No! What happened to me back there?" Ben asked, the anger leaving his voice. He slowly sat back down and looked at his dad pitifully.

Carl sighed. "I don't really know what happened. But when Max carried you home, you were covered in blood and you wouldn't wake up. I… I was scared, Ben, and I blamed your grandfather for everything." Carl put his head in his hands. "I know your grandfather would never purposefully put you in danger, but seeing you like that, well, that was the last straw. And now he's missing."

Ben sat back in his chair and tried to absorb everything. He stood up and walked over to Carl. "I know you want to apologize to Grandpa, but right now we need to strong to find him." Ben felt weird, having to comfort his dad like this, but it seemed to do wonders for him. And then he saw the watch.

"What's this?" Carl demanded, eyeing his son suspiciously.

"Gwen gave it to me yesterday," Ben lied quickly. Another thing he had to break to his cousin later. "She knows how much fun I had with the old one, so she made me this one." Carl didn't look convinced. "She also thinks that she doesn't have to give me any Christmas or birthday presents for the next five years." Carl gave an involuntary snort at that. Those two were the same as ever. He wasn't entirely convinced that Ben was telling the truth, but why would he lie?

Ben dumped his bowl into the sink and started for the door. "Where are you going?" Carl asked him.

"I'm going to Gwen's place for a bit. I'll be home soon," Ben said as he went out the door.

* * *

><p>"You really told him that?" Gwen asked her cousin. They were in her room at her house. Ben had flown in one of his new aliens; he called that one Jetray. Ben had told her about the talk he and his dad had a few minutes ago.<p>

"Yeah. Also, if he asks, you gave me this Omnitrix as a present." Ben pointed to the watch. Gwen raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

"So, what so we do now?" she asked, sitting on the bed.

Ben sighed and leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. "I have no idea," he said finally. "I guess if we find any clues about Grandpa, we look into it. Hopefully he'll send another message so we can know he's okay."

Gwen smiled. "I'm sure he's okay." She suddenly stopped smiling. "But about what happened to you back when we were ten… I'm starting to think the Slayers had something to do with it after all."

"What makes you say that?"

"Magister Labrid said that the Slayers are notorious for their terrible actions against supposed criminals. Maybe you got caught up in something and…" Gwen trailed off, unsure of where her train of thought was actually going.

"And what, Gwen?"

"I'm not sure, but maybe whatever happened to you was so traumatic that you literally blocked it from your mind."

"So, if I want to remember, then I have to go see a hypnotist or something?" Ben raised an eyebrow.

"Probably." Gwen suddenly got up and opened her window. "But I think we had enough excitement for a while. Try to rest for the next couple of days. Something tells me we're both going to need it."

Ben started for the window, then looked back, confused. "Did we just go an entire ten minutes without getting into an argument?"

"You just ruined it, you idiot."

"Shut up, freak."

"So says the guy who can turn into ten different aliens."

"Yes, I do say it." And then Ben stuck out his tongue, changed into Jetray, and then flew out the window before Gwen could retaliate.

* * *

><p><strong>Monday, which unfortunately means school.<strong>

Ben was walking to his locker when he remembered his promise to Carter. With everything that had been going on, he had completely forgotten! Where was she? Ben searched around the busy hallway, but there were too many people. It was kind of weird that he couldn't find her, seeing as she had the strange bang and all.

And then Ben mentally kicked himself for not asking for her number, or at least her last name. Now how was he supposed to find her? Ben quickly got to his locker and roughly opened it, constantly cursing himself for his stupidity. He was so angry that he didn't notice that Carter was just a few lockers down from him.

The high school assigned lockers in alphabetical order, so it was no wonder Carter Valentine's locker would be close to Ben Tennyson's. Carter, along with Sam and Evan, had already gotten her textbooks, classes, and locker numbers earlier and she was now waiting for a good chance to come up and talk to Ben. Seeing as he was too busy to look her way, Carter decided to take the initiative again and come up to him.

"Does the offer to guide me around school still stand?" she asked.

Ben started, nearly dropping his books in the process. He looked at her and a huge grin spread all over his face. "Yes! I mean, yeah," he said, trying hopelessly to act nonchalant. "How did you find me anyway?"

"My locker is by yours." Carter pointed with her thumb in the general direction of her locker.

"I kind of forgot what your last name was," Ben said coyly. He tried to hide his embarrassment by closing the locker door.

"That's because I didn't tell you," Carter said, smirking. "It's Valentine."

"Really." Ben hoisted his backpack onto his shoulder. "Didn't you say that there were some other new kids?" he asked.

"Yeah, and believe it or not, one of them really looks like you," Carter stated, looking at Ben curiously. "Seriously, the similarities are freaking incredible."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Anyway, we should probably look for them. I think their lockers are by the main entrance." Carter got out a map from her backpack and studied it.

"What makes you say that?" Ben asked, taking the map from her hands. Carter looked at him, slightly irritated. Ben started walking away, and she had no choice but to follow him.

"I think their last names start with 'f' and 'd', and since lockers here are assigned in alphabetical order, I assumed that their lockers would be at the front." Carter took back her map and shoved it back into her backpack.

"Do you know their first names?" Ben asked as they walked down the hallway. He was acutely aware of the stares he was getting, walking alongside Carter. A few kids whispered and even pointed, already asking those around them if the two of them had some sort of connection to each other. Carter either didn't notice them or she chose to ignore it.

"Yeah, the one that looks like your evil twin is Evan, and the other is a girl named Sam," Carter continued, trying to ignore the rude stares. Seriously, didn't these people have anything better to do than gossip about her? Sure, she was used to people staring, but gossip always got on her nerves. Nevertheless, she tried to focus on Ben.

"What does Sam look like?" Ben asked. He was getting desperate for a conversation topic, and this was all he had to go on.

"Sam's a redhead, and a very pretty one at that. She also really likes the color red. But there's one thing strange about her," Carter added.

"What's that?" Ben asked.

"Her hair looks like it's on fire."

"You're kidding."

"No, I'm not. You'll understand once you see it." The two of them were now close to the main entrance, and they were searching for these two oddities. And that was when Ben saw him: a guy with long brown hair tied in a ponytail, jeans, Converse sneakers, a black long sleeved shirt under a green tee shirt with a cool looking graphic of a black dragon. His skin had an olive tone, his green eyes darker, and a gigantic smile was taking up half of his face. He was talking to some girl in a red halter top, black mini skirt, and red boots. Her hair was layered and wavy, and it was cut in the middle of her back. It really did look like fire.

"You weren't kidding," Ben told Carter. He could literally see her hair from across the hall; it was just that noticeable.

"Come on, I'll introduce you." Carter tugged at his sleeve and led him to the mysterious twosome.

The boy noticed them first. His eyes widened, and the girl looked behind her to see what was taking away his attention. Her eyes widened as well, and they both stared at him as he got closer.

"Evan, Sam, meet Ben. He'll be our guide," Carter introduced. Ben couldn't stop staring at the guy in front of him. Seriously, it was like looking in a mirror, if the mirror showed you a slightly different version of yourself.

"Hi, I'm Evan," the boy said first, raising a hand to shake. His voice was deep.

"Ben." He returned the handshake. "You seriously weren't kidding when he said that he looked like me," Ben repeated to Carter, who had been watching the exchange curiously.

"No. No I wasn't," was all Carter said.

"I'm Sam," the flaming red head said suddenly, breaking the trance Ben was in. Ben looked at her and was instantly reminded of her cousin, because the frame of her face was similar to Gwen's. Weird, but not as weird as the fact that there was a doppelganger of Ben right in front of him. First the voice, and now this. Who knew what else could happen?

"What's your first class?" Ben asked, trying to find something normal to talk about. The three new kids got out their schedules, though unbeknownst to Ben, they had already memorized it.

"I have algebra first," Carter said, sticking out her tongue.

"Me too," Sam sighed.

"I take it you two don't like math," Ben stated the obvious. "What about you?" he asked Evan, who wouldn't meet his eye.

"I for one enjoy math, especially physics," he said.

"So does that mean that you can help me with my physics homework, because I seriously need the help," Ben pleaded. It didn't matter anymore what Evan looked like, his grade was about to plummet.

"Sure," Evan said, surprised. He had been expecting a different approach to befriending Ben, but this could work. Sam, on the other hand, was having a hard time reading Ben's reaction. Normally humans don't bounce back as quickly as he had when faced with a double. Then again, he had been fighting against aliens all his life. Something like this probably couldn't faze him for very long. Carter was still there, just watching the scene unfold with an amused expression.

With only ten minutes left before classes started, Ben directed them to their first classes. That was when he found out that they had a bit in common: Evan loved playing his guitar, Sam was a drummer, and Carter had been taking singing lessons since she was young. And all where familiar with Sumo Slammers, even if only Evan played all the videogames.

Once again people were staring at them, only know they didn't hesitate to point at Evan and Ben. Some were looking at Sam like she was a slut, some said that Carter was a cutter, and Evan, well, he just looked like Ben. Already the outrageous rumors were circulating, and Sam was ready to kick a lot of ass. Carter quickly shot her a look that clearly told her to calm down and ignore the students around them.

Carter and Sam were the first ones to leave the group to get to math. With only Evan around, it was kind of awkward for Ben. But Evan quickly turned that around. "Dude, you want to hang out some time? None of us know this city as well as you do, and we would really appreciate if you'd show us around."

"Yeah, I'd love to," Ben asked happily. Hey, new friends were always appreciated.

"That, and I'm pretty sure you want to spend more time with Carter."

"And you don't?"

"Sure, though I don't want to date her. She just seems like someone I want to get to know. And anyone who likes Sumo Slammers can't be a totally bad person." Ben and Evan high-fived each other at that.

"You are totally awesome!" Ben declared happily.

"Just wait until you get to know me. Then I'll _really_ be awesome," Evan said. "Well, here's my stop. See you at lunch." Evan opened the door for Spanish Two and walked inside, leaving Ben to his own devices. In other words, he had to go to class. And all the way, he was cheering inside his head, unbelievably happy that he might not only have a group of new friends, but even a possible wingman!

He was so happy that he didn't notice how they all happened to play instruments that could start a band, or how they all had something similar in common that no one else his age really had.

* * *

><p>Evan, on the other hand, was not so happy. Without someone he knew around to talk to him, he was at the mercy of his classmates, who were looking at him like he was an alien (which wasn't that far from the truth). "Ben, dude, what are you doing here?" a blond boy in the school's soccer uniform asked. Probably one of Ben's teammates.<p>

"I'm not Ben," Evan said curtly, standing his ground. The boy held up his hands in a joking manner.

"Okay, I got to admit, this is a pretty good joke. But seriously, you can stop playing around." The boy smiled nervously.

Evan roughly yanked his long hair numerous times to show that it wasn't fake. "Are you still convinced that I'm Ben?" he said, officially annoyed. The other boy widened his eyes in shock and looked around the room helplessly.

A girl with spiky black hair came to his rescue. "You're not seeing things, dude. People have seen two Bens walking around together." She turned to Evan. "What's your name?"

"My name is Evan," he said quietly. "Is there an open seat somewhere?" The spiky haired girl gestured towards the front. Evan made his way over, trying desperately to avoid the looks and whispers.

He was actually kind of thankful that he was in the front. Now everyone would have a chance to get used to Evan and Ben's similarities. Nevertheless, it was going to be a long day.

* * *

><p>Sam was used to people staring. Mainly it was because of her hair, which definitely looked fake, even when it wasn't. That didn't stop the rumors from circulating, even though it was so early in the morning.<p>

Sam and Carter were sitting next to each other in their Algebra class, waiting for the bell to ring. Normally it was Carter who got the stares, but that was only when Sam wasn't around. Seriously, didn't these people have better things to do?

"Sam! Calm down!" hissed Carter, who had her head down in her arms. She was trying to ignore the stares as well, but this solution wouldn't help Sam one bit.

"Why?" Sam hissed back.

"Because if you go on a murderous rampage, Cordelia will murder you and drink your blood from one of her best glasses!" Carter whispered fiercely. That put Sam in her place, but it did nothing to quell her anger.

Sam couldn't wait for the day to be over. She could understand why she would need to go to this school, since the fastest way to befriend Ben was to meet him at school. But Sam, Carter, and Evan already knew half of the curriculum since they had attended a special school created especially for young Slayers. The teachers not only taught them the Slayer history and how to fight, but it also taught them normal human studies. And because of the Slayers' natural ability to absorb information faster than the normal human, they really didn't need the extra school.

But Sam couldn't let Cordelia hear that, especially when the timing was so bad. Surely she could stick it out for a while.

Now if only she had some duct tape. Then that would make her day _so_ much better.

* * *

><p><em>I tried to write the stories in different viewpoints, give some of the new characters a voice. Hopefully that turned out well.<em>

_I plan on making Evan one of the more vivacious characters. He pairs well with a certain cousin of Carter's that's coming in later chapters. *Hint hint*_

_So, what do you guys think?_


	4. In Which Ben Grows Suspicious

Chapter 4: In Which Ben Grows Suspicious

_I noticed that no one really reviewed the last chapter. I understand if you've lost interest, but you have to tell me why you did. You can't just stop reading something and not tell the reason._

…_Or maybe I'm just being paranoid. Whichever one works._

* * *

><p>If Sam had a chainsaw, Bellwood High School would be the next <em>Texas Chainsaw Massacre<em>, only without the cannibalism.

All freaking day she had to deal with poser boys who wanted to get in her pants and jealous girls making fun of her appearance. None of them knew who she really was or what she was capable of. If they did, they would bow down and scream, "We're not worthy! Please don't kill us!" at the top of their lungs. Only the threat of Cordelia's anger and failure of any kind kept Sam from torching the building to the ground.

Luckily, it was lunch now. Sam and Carter were heading to the cafeteria, hoping that Evan would be able to snag Ben so they could sit together. Carter seriously needed to give him that book so that the three of them could get this damn mission over with. They waded through the sea of students, trying to ignore their inane laughter and voices. Before they entered the cafeteria, Carter nudged Sam and gestured to Evan, who was on the other side of the room, talking to Ben. They seemed to be laughing about something, and both were heading to an empty table near the center of the lunch room. Sam and Carter made their way towards them, happy to see that everyone was too wrapped up in their silly lives to notice them.

"No one cares if we sit here, right?" Carter asked, taking one of the empty seats.

"Well, since your already sitting…" Ben joked as Sam and Evan also sat down. All four had brown bagged it for the day, saving them from having to stand in line.

"Where do you usually sit, Ben?" Sam asked, trying to make conversation.

"With my teammates. They might sit over here with us," Ben answered before taking a bite of his sandwich.

"You never did tell me if the soccer team here was a good one," Carter said lightly. Why was it so hard to make conversation?

"The team's pretty good, but I don't really want to talk about that right now. Where are you guys from?"

Their cover stories had already been decided. "I'm from Michigan. My parents got transferred here to the Valentine Hospital," Carter explained. "Sam, aren't you from Arizona?" She looked pointedly at her.

"Phoenix, to be exact," Sam confirmed. "It was also a job transfer, but to an auto factory, not a hospital."

"I'm from San Francisco. My dad found business here," Evan added.

"What kind of business?" Ben asked.

"Video games. He found a new way to play them," Evan said truthfully. His dad really did create such a program, but it wasn't out on the market just yet.

"Sweet, I can't wait to play it," Ben said before some of his teammates started to come over. The blond boy from earlier was with them. He was the only one in a soccer uniform. "Mind if we sit here?" he asked, holding a lunch tray.

Ben looked at Evan. "I don't mind," he said, shrugging. Sure, the guy had confused him with Ben earlier, but it wasn't his fault. No use being annoyed with someone over a little misunderstanding.

"Uh, sorry about this morning," the blond boy blushed. He held out his hand. "My name's David. You're Evan, right?" Evan took his hand and shook it.

"No problem, man. Come on, sit down." Evan smiled and gestured to the open seats.

Only three teammates came over to join them. The rest hung back, occasionally looking over their way, not making any move to come over. Carter met their gaze, and they all looked away as if they were embarrassed to be seen doing that. Carter rolled her eyes before looking at the new faces around the table.

David was friendly and was already used to the similarities between Ben and Evan. He enjoyed soccer and was planning on going pro after high school. Greg was quiet with glasses and a mess of curly brown hair. He was into computers and was talking with Evan about math and science and the likes all throughout lunch. Jack was loud with a stupid grin who only wanted to flirt with Sam and Carter; luckily for Carter, she was talking with Ben. Unluckily for Sam, she was stuck with Jack.

"I like your hair," Jack said, smiling widely. Didn't anyone ever tell him that showing off all your teeth looked weird?

"Thanks, it's natural," Sam answered in a monotone. She picked at her sandwich.

"How is that natural?" Jack tried to joke good naturedly, but it came out wrong.

"It's always been like that." Sam took a big bite of her lunch, hoping that Jack would get the hint. He didn't.

While Jack was trying and failing to flirt with Sam, Carter was trying to pass off the textbook to Ben without making it look like it was planned. "Do you like fantasy books?" she asked in what she hoped was a light tone.

"I'm not much of a reader," Ben admitted. "But I like the fantasy genre in general."

"Well," Carter began, "I have a book that you might like. It has a lot of pictures," she reassured Ben. "I've already read it, so if you want to check it out…" Carter trailed off and looked at Ben expectantly.

Ben took the bait. "I'd love to read it. Do you have it here?"

"Actually, yes," Carter replied as she unzipped her backpack and got out the heavy book. It was made out of crackled brown leather, and it was two inches thick.

"Wow," was Ben's only response. "How old is this?" he asked as he cradled it in his hands.

"A year, it was just made to look old," Carter explained.

"I can't wait to read it. When do you want it back?" Ben asked as he cracked open the cover. It had a picture of an earth on it with the caption "Occisor" under it. "What does _occisor _mean?" Ben asked.

"It's Latin for slayer or murderer," Carter explained. Ben looked up sharply at Carter. Either this was a huge coincidence or she was…

"Something wrong, Ben?" Carter asked innocently.

"Y-yeah," Ben stammered out finally as he shoved the book into his backpack. Nah, it couldn't be…could it?

* * *

><p>The book haunted Ben all throughout the rest of the day. As he walked to his locker, he could hear someone call his name in the distance, but he was too out of it to notice. "Ben!" a hand on his shoulder stopped him from moving further. "Dude, you okay? You've been out of it all day," David said, steering Ben towards his locker.<p>

"What? Yeah, I guess I was," Ben said as he opened his locker door.

"The new guys seem nice," David commented casually.

"Yes, they are," Ben said.

"Do you think I have a shot at Carter?" David asked suddenly, shaking Ben out of his stupor.

"No, I don't think so. But you could always talk to her," Ben said without thinking.

"The thing is, I'm pretty sure she has a boyfriend back in Michigan, and I don't want to make her unfaithful," David said truthfully. He peered over at Carter, who was putting her textbooks away in her locker. She was completely oblivious to the two guys talking about her.

"Why don't you just ask her?"

David snorted. "Yeah, that wouldn't be awkward at _all_."

"You'll never know if you don't ask." Ben closed his locker. "See you at soccer practice?"

"Yeah," Davis murmured, still looking at Carter. Ben looked at him for a moment and contemplated telling him that he had his eye on her too. His conscience said that would be the best thing to do. His heart didn't want to make things awkward between the two of them.

His head won.

"Uh, David," Ben began.

"Hmm?" David mumbled, finally tearing his gaze away.

"The truth is, I kind of have a thing for her too, and I met her first, so…" Ben shrugged sheepishly, hoping David would get the hint.

"Yeah, I get it. She's out of my league anyway. Then again, she's out of your league, too." David stood up straight and looked Ben in the eye.

"True. May the best man win?" Ben wagered.

"That seems fair," David agreed before walking away.

Ben sighed. He didn't want to fight his friend over some girl, even Carter. But he also wanted her as a girlfriend. Why did life have to be so unfair?

"Are you going to soccer practice?" Carter asked. She had popped up out of nowhere, and once again she startled Ben.

"Yeah. By the way, when do you want that book back?" he asked.

"Well, it's a pretty big book, so you can take your time with it." Carter shrugged. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"That'd be nice." Ben smiled as Carter left. He then walked to the boys' locker room to change for soccer practice. Carter went to Sam's locker, happy to tell her that the mission was half over. When she got there, she saw that Jack was glomming onto Sam, who was desperately trying not to hurt him.

"One date couldn't hurt," Jack was saying as Carter walked up to them.

"No," Sam replied harshly, slamming her locker door with too much force. Then she whirled around. "I don't like you," she spat in his face. Jack went slack-jawed. A girl had never said that to him, or flat-out refused his advances. Feeling triumphant, Sam walked away. Carter followed her, and soon looped her arm through hers.

"Not bad, DuBaer," Carter complimented, pronouncing Sam's last name as _du-BAR_. Sam smiled nastily.

"That bastard got what was coming to him." She took a long look at Carter. "Something tells me you have good news, Valentine."

"I gave Ben the book. The mission is now almost over," Carter said happily.

"Best news I've heard all day," Sam said happily, like Carter knew she would.

"Where's Evan? We have to tell him too," Carter said, looking around the hallway. A hand clapped on both of their shoulders; of course it had to be Evan.

"Do I smell good news?" he asked with a goofy grin.

"The mission is half over," Carter repeated.

"Awesome!" Evan's grin slid off his face. "We have work."

Carter swore under her breath. "What is it?" Evan looked around.

"Too public. Come on." He steered his two friends to the main hallway and out the main entrance. Other students were milling about, climbing into big yellow buses or walking home with friends. Sam, Evan, and Carter walked quickly to the left side of the building, by the exits no one really used. They scanned the area, and Evan went right to it.

"There's been a series of fires in Grover's Mill. The authorities over there think the cause is a young Pyronite. He's probably a Plumbers' kid. Anyway, Cordelia thinks the fires aren't from the Pyronite, but from another cause." Evan got out his Plumbers' badge, which looked like a normal one, save for the graphic of a strange pair of wings on the front: one wing was a typical angel wing, but the other was a wing of a bat, or perhaps a demon. Evan willed the badge to show him a holographic map of the area, including Grover's Mill. A couple of green, blipping lights were shown, acting as a GPS to find other Plumbers.

"Why is that one blinking?" Sam inquired, pointing at the one in Grover's Mill.

"Probably the Pyronite. Why do you think he's a Plumbers' kid?" Carter asked Evan.

He shrugged. "We've been seeing a lot of them recently. And the fires looked too erratic to be a normal arsonist."

"Do we go there immediately or what?" Sam asked, wanting to conclude the briefing.

"We could, but we don't have a subspace portal ready," Evan explained, shutting off the map and putting the badge in his back pocket. And that was when Carter held up a plastic green card with the same wing graphic as Evan's badge.

"That doesn't mean we can't create one," she countered, smiling impishly.

Sam ogled the card. "Where the hell did you get this?" she cried as she snatched the card from her friend's hand.

"I got it as a present from Isaac," Carter explained, grabbing her card back.

"But how? Those things cost a fortune, not to mention rare," Evan wanted to know.

"You know Isaac has connections," Carter began.

"So do the rest of our parents," Sam retorted, not convinced.

"Isaac does like to spoil me for some reason," Carter explained with a hint of disgust. She didn't want expensive gifts, no matter how useful and practical they might be.

"Whatever! Work your magic and let's go!" Sam's eyes sparkled at the thought. Carter, smiling, walked up to the brick wall and quickly swiped the card down, like she was swiping a credit machine with a credit card. An outline of a doorway glowed green, and out popped a green door with the black angel-devil wing graphic on it. The three of them held hands, and Carter turned the knob. The doorway led into darkness, but like all dark places, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Carter quickly ran through the door, leading her friends into subspace.

* * *

><p>Ben was just finishing soccer practice when he saw his cousin on the bleachers. As the other guys walked to the showers, Ben came up to Gwen. "Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked, wiping sweat off his brow.<p>

"Nothing really, only to tell you that there are other Plumbers around here," Gwen answered casually, sitting down.

"Seriously? How'd you find that out?" Ben climbed the bleachers to sit by her.

"…Kevin told me."

"You've been meeting up with _Kevin_?" Ben shot up from his seat and glared at his cousin.

"It's not like that! I met him earlier while I was walking home from school and we started talking," Gwen quickly explained. "His Plumbers' badge started beeping, and that's how we found out."

"And that's it?" Ben inquired, in no way calm about the situation.

Gwen glared at her cousin. "We all agreed to fight together and the best way to do that is to get to know each other first." Her expression softened. "I know how bad he was back when we were kids, but he's grown up. Maybe he can change."

Ben snorted. "And how do you figure that?"

"I don't know, but people do. Anyway, he's waiting out in the parking lot. If we go to where the Plumber is, maybe we could find Grandpa," Gwen said soothingly. Ben simmered down a bit, and reluctantly agreed with what Gwen was saying. He didn't know if it was possible for Kevin to change, but they had to work together to defeat the High Breeds.

"I'll go change. You bring Kevin over here," Ben ordered as he walked off the bleachers. Gwen smiled triumphantly when his back was turned.

* * *

><p>Carter, Sam, and Evan clamored out of the subspace door into a cornfield. "That. Was. AWESOME!" Evan screamed at the top of his lungs. He pulled Sam up and started dancing with her as Carter closed the door. As the door disappeared, Carter looked at the two of them tangoing to no music and started laughing.<p>

"You're so happy over something so small!" she stated, tears starting to fall from her eyes.

Evan and Sam stopped dancing long enough to laugh with her. "We never get to ride in subspace! It's always a jet plane or a car or a spaceship. This way is a lot more fun!" Sam declared as she released herself from Evan's hold. The three of them instantly turned serious and surveyed their surroundings. They were at the site of the last supposed arson attack, and they were looking for any police cars. They needed to know where they took the Pyronite; if he had any involvement with the DNAliens…

"Police cars!" Sam whispered, pointing to the front. She was right; there were the boys in blue, searching the place and asking the locals if they saw anything. A shadow loomed over the three teens, enveloping them in its darkness. It was a good thing they knew how to shadow travel: it was basically just becoming a part of the shadows and moving through them undetected. It was hard to explain how it happened, but it was useful for short travel throughout an area, unlike using the subspace doors.

The three of them travelled to the sheriff, who was talking into a walkie-talkie. "What do you mean Alan escaped?" he angrily whispered into the talkie. "Find him, then!" He threw the talkie into his car and got in it himself. The shadows got into the backseat. The sheriff didn't notice. The group then rode with the sheriff to the ice warehouse, where they held the Pyronite Alan captive.

* * *

><p>Ben, Gwen, and Kevin were already at the ice warehouse, or rather, they were outside of it, looking at a giant hole in the wall. Ben climbed inside and looked around. "Whatever made this hole is long gone," he announced. He then spied the Plumbers' badge on the desk. He grabbed it and put it into his back pocket before anyone noticed that it was missing.<p>

"You think your Grandpa made this hole?" Kevin asked Gwen, who was staring intently at the charred markings.

"I think he might not have anything to do with this at all," she finally said, looking at Kevin.

"What do you mean?" Ben asked, jumping out of the building and landing beside Gwen.

"This town is close to Bellwood. Wouldn't Grandpa have contacted us if he was chasing something in the area?" Gwen wondered out loud.

"Maybe he can't," Kevin said darkly. That put an ominous spin on the perpetrator.

"Well, whatever the case may be, we have to find Grandpa Max and whoever made this hole," Ben continued. He started walking into the cornfield surrounding the warehouse. "The arson attacks happened in the fields, right?" he asked his team.

"You think there both back in there?" Gwen asked.

"Worth a shot," Kevin commented. And with that they followed their unofficial leader into the cornfield.

* * *

><p>Today was officially the worst day in Alan Albright's life. He had just found out about his alien heritage a few weeks ago when he had accidentally set his bed on fire, and ever since then he had been trying to control his powers. Only now the sheriff thought he was the cause of a bunch of arson attacks in the cornfields. He was being framed, but who would believe him? And now he had lost his father's Plumber badge, the only thing that kept him out of alien prison.<p>

Alan had forgotten that he was still in his Pyronite form. That was why it was easy for the sheriff and his deputy to find him. The deputy aimed his rifle and shot at him as he was running. Alan dodged to the side, nearly missing the bullet. "Stop running Alan, and face up to your crimes," the sheriff growled, looking at the young boy with disgust in his eyes.

"But I didn't do anything! I'm being framed! Why won't you believe me?" Alan yelled at them, all the fear and anger revealing themselves in his voice.

"Who else could it have been?" the sheriff scoffed, convinced that it really was the freak in front of him who endangered all of those lives.

"_God, what a simpleton."_ A female voice rang out from all around them. The wind whistled in the cornfield, and despite all the heat he was generating, Alan shivered.

"Who's there?" the sheriff demanded, looking around him. "You've brought help!" the deputy reported, aiming for another shot at Alan.

"_No he didn't,"_ Sam said, hiding in the shadows.

"_We were just in the neighborhood, and we thought we might drop in on this conversation,"_ Evan said casually. He brushed a few leaves off of his shirt. He was with Sam and Carter, hiding in the cornfields, trying to find a way to help Alan without revealing themselves too much. They had to change their voices a little, making them high-pitched and childlike so Alan couldn't recognize them later.

"Who are you?" Alan asked, terrified. He already had enough weird things happen to him today; he didn't need any more.

"_We're the Pride,"_ Carter told him. _"Now, could you please tell us what exactly is going on?"_

"_The stupid policemen think that he started a bunch of fires here," _Sam answered for him._ "But the question is, did he really do it?"_

"Who else could it be?" The sheriff exclaimed angrily. The deputy was now aiming for the cornfield around him, his rifle shaking quite visibly.

"_We can't have that, now can we?"_ Evan remarked as he saw the foolish deputy try to shoot them. He used his earth powers to make the plants snatch up the gun and throw it far away in the fields. The result was hilarious: the deputy actually tried to hide behind the sheriff, who didn't have a single weapon on him. The Pride giggled at their expense, making them sound more like evil children.

"_I'll repeat myself again, Alan: did you or did you not start those fires?"_ Carter asked again after she had stopped laughing.

"No, I didn't," Alan affirmed vehemently.

There was a long pause before Evan said, _"I believe him."_

"_So that means the stupid policemen need to apologize," _Sam said fire in her eyes.

_"Apologize,"_ all three said in unison.

"But we don't have any proof that he didn't do it! All we have is his word, and it won't hold up in court," the sheriff reasoned. He had absolutely no idea what was going on, and it was scaring him half to death.

"_Then go find some proof," _Carter ordered them. When the policemen hesitated, all three snarled, "_GO!" _and off they went with their tails behind their legs.

"Th-thank you," Alan stammered. He felt like crying, he was so relieved.

"_We're glad, Alan. Now don't run away. Some people are going to find you. You have to explain to them what the situation is. Hopefully they'll help you find the people who framed you," _Carter said soothingly.

_"We can't stay here,"_ Sam said in her saddest tone.

_"When you explain to Ben about what happened, don't mention us right away, okay? We want to stay secret for a while longer,"_ Evan added quickly. _"Can you do that Alan?"_

"Sure," Alan answered happily. He wanted to thank these Pride people for convincing the sheriff to find proof, and if this was the way to thank them, then so be it.

_"Bye bye, Alan, bye bye,"_ the three of them said in unison. There was a rustling sound, and then they were gone.

* * *

><p>"Did you guys hear something?" Ben asked Gwen and Kevin as they made their way through the cornfield.<p>

"I think it came from over there." Gwen pointed in front of her. They ran into a clearing that held a nervous Pyronite, waiting for the people who were supposed to help him.

"Wow," was all Kevin said as he felt the wave of nostalgia. Alan looked at the three of them, and then turned back to human.

"Are you Ben?" he asked hesitantly.

"I am." Ben stepped up to the plate, figuratively speaking. "What are you doing here? Did you start all these fires? And where's my grandfather?"

"H-hold on," Alan stammered. "Let me explain from the beginning." And so he did, though he didn't mention the Pride right away, like he promised.

"So you have no idea where our grandpa is," Gwen stated, looking at Ben.

"Okay, you were right. But that doesn't explain how he was able to convince the sheriff that he didn't so those fires." Ben looked at Alan, confused.

"Technically, it wasn't me," he admitted. "There were some people in the cornfield that scared them into looking for more evidence."

"And you didn't get a look at them," Kevin reported. He shook his head. "That's weak, man."

"You have to believe me!"

"We believe that you didn't start the fires, but not so much on these mystery people," Gwen explained. "Did they at least tell you their names?"

"They called themselves the Pride." Alan silently apologized to his saviors for not keeping up his end of the bargain.

Kevin, Gwen, and Ben all glanced at each other knowingly. "Where did they go?" Ben asked.

"I told you, I didn't even see their faces, much less see them leave," Alan protested. "Who are they, anyway?"

"There part of a separate branch of the Plumbers. You do _not_ want to get on their bad sides," Kevin explained. "…You do know what the Plumbers are, right?"

"Yeah, my dad was one. He gave me his old Plumbers' badge so no one would confuse me for some illegal alien," Alan said. He winced. "The sheriff took it, though."

"Yeah, well, I took it back," Ben said, smiling for the first time since he got there. He took the badge out of pocket and handed it to Alan, who looked very happy to see it.

Kevin suddenly looked up and saw some flashes of blue. "I think we may have found our arsonist." Kevin pointed to his right. The others looked at the general direction. As if they were one unit, they ran towards it.

DNAliens were creating giant circles in the cornfield with some sort of fire torch. Without thinking, Ben turned into Swampfire and started blasting the creeps.

"God, Tennyson! Can't you calm down and think rationally for a change?" Kevin exclaimed as he absorbed the ground and started punching the enemy. Alan turned into his Pyronite form and tried to help, but he didn't aim his fire blasts very well.

"This is why I need to practice!" he said as Gwen put up a magenta force field around the four of them.

"Why are they doing this in the first place?" Gwen wondered as she tried to keep her force field up.

"Don't know, don't care. Let's kick their asses already!" Kevin grinned maniacally. He burst through the force field with Ben trailing him, and together they laid into those monsters.

"Are you friends always this violent?" Alan asked Gwen.

"Unfortunately," she answered, rolling her eyes at the two boys.

That was when Gwen thought up an idea. If these guys were creating something out of these crop circles, then shouldn't it be hidden somewhere close by? Gwen quickly willed her energy to reveal any cloaking devices in the area, hoping that it would work.

It did. A giant weather tower revealed itself with a flash of pink light, and it instantly started to snow. Kevin and Ben beat up the last of the DNAliens and just stared at the tower.

"How do we take it down?" Kevin asked Ben.

"With teamwork," Gwen announced. "I have a plan." She turned to Alan, smiling.

* * *

><p>Alan was flying through the air, a piece of land attached to his feet to help him. He used his fire power as an energy source as he zoomed to the top. All Alan had to do was destroy any guards at the top; Ben and the others would take down the weather tower at ground level. It was a cinch to set fire to the guards, since they hated heat. He backed away just in time to see Ben, Kevin, and Gwen push down the weather tower together, Ben using vines at his feet for leverage, Gwen using some spell to cut it down, and Kevin pushing it the old-fashioned way.<p>

Alan wasn't the only one who cheered when the weather tower fell to the ground. Sam, Evan, and Carter had lied; they were close by, just observing. Cordelia didn't say that they had to do anything. They had been told to just investigate. They were watching the tower fall on the roof of the warehouse. The sheriff, who was on the ground by the ice warehouse, also saw it. He and his deputy got into a police car and drove away to investigate.

"Should we chalk this up as a victory?" Sam asked from her perch. The night air felt amazing, but it was too dark to see. She willed a small ball of fire to form in her hand, and she palmed it back and forth in her two hands.

"I think so, though we still don't know what the High Breeds are planning," Evan said. He handed a water bottle to Carter. After she opened the cap, she willed a small ball of water to form and glide itself out of the bottle. She directed the ball to Evan, who popped it into his mouth like it was candy.

"Cordelia won't care about that until we get Ben on our side," Carter remarked as she took a sip of water, the normal way this time.

"True," Sam agreed. She sucked the ball of fire back into her body and stood up. "Can we go back home through the subspace door again?"

Carter gave an exaggerated sigh. "Okay," she said, taking out the card and swiping it in the air. Evan gave a happy whoop and opened the door. The three held hands and jumped once again, back to their home in Sterling Hills.

* * *

><p><em>While I did say that I would follow the episodes, I didn't say it would be the same as the original episode. I'm pretty sure no one wants to read a fanfic that's the same as the original series, only with a bunch of new characters shoved in.<em>

_I'm glad that I was able to show what kind of power Sam, Evan, and Carter had individually. Of course, that's not the extent of what they can do. I'll reveal it all little by little._

_Please read and review. I need to know that I'm writing to an actual audience._


	5. Money is a HUGE Sweet Talker

Chapter 5: Money is a HUGE Sweet Talker

_Thank you, FanficFemale, for telling me what stats are. Also, thank you for the words of comfort/advice. I tend to overreact over the little things; it's not one of my better qualities._

_Anyway, enjoy the new chapter!_

* * *

><p>Carter hated math. Why couldn't it be more like poetry, or a song lyric, or even an interesting novel? Who liked slaving over numbers and letters and fractions anyway? Miffed, Carter slammed her algebra book shut after trying to figure out the last problem. She would have to ask Evan about it later.<p>

Carter swirled her desk chair away from her desk to get away from the text book of evil. Her room was plush and ornate, just like the rest of her house: she had a king-sized bed with velvet drapes covering the sides that were held by strong oak bars on all four sides. She had two black couches and a glass coffee table in front of a large plasma screen TV. Right next to the TV was a small bookshelf full of DVDs on almost every genre. Her desk was oak with a home computer for school work on top. Her room was supposed to have four walls, but the one in the back had been converted into a bookshelf, completely hiding the wall behind it. The bookshelf was only half full; it was simply far too large for Carter's tastes. The left wall near her bed and desk had an ornate window panned door, leading to a large balcony. There were stairs connecting the balcony, which led into the vast garden below.

Yeah, it was awesome.

Carter hopped to her feet and went to her bed where, under her pillow, was an old beat-up notebook. The inside cover held the title: _The Devastating Truth of Subject XII. _It was a rock opera, which Carter had been working on for six years now. It was literally her pride and joy.

The opera began in a research facility with the birth of subject XII. He was supposed to be the ultimate human, having all the power that humanity craved: super strength, lightning fast reflexes, incredible intellect and memory, the whole shebang. Problem was subject XII was super sick from birth, just like all the other subjects before him. Believing that he would die just like all the others, the scientists decided to scrap him. Subject XII, knowing that he would die soon, desperately tried to escape, actually making it out of the facility into the city, only to be wounded by an oncoming car. The driver and his daughter took Subject XII to the hospital, only to find out that he escaped with barely a scratch. Everyone thinks that he has amnesia-he figured that no one would believe that he was a test subject- so the driver and his daughter decided to take Subject XII home. They try to help him regain his memory, giving him a list of male names and forcing him to help out in the family bookstore. Subject XII decides to call himself Jonah, and pursues a romantic relationship with Clarissa, the driver's daughter. After a few months, Clarissa is diagnosed with cancer. Jonah believes that it is his fault, because all of the other test subjects died of some type of cancer and that they passed it on to certain scientists. How he deals with everything was still up for grabs, because Carter hadn't gotten to that part yet. She was constantly changing the story and lyrics; who knew when it would be finished?

She grabbed a pencil and immediately started outlining the next part, humming a little tune while she did so. A shame her grandmother had to ruin the mood.

Cordelia Valentine walked into the room with serpentine grace, still in her work clothes. "What are you doing?" she asked right away, ignoring the look her granddaughter was giving her.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?"

Cordelia raised an eyebrow. "Impolite as usual. Anyway, there's a job for you if you need some extra spending money." Cordelia knew which buttons to hit; Carter's band needed new amps ever since Sam destroyed them- apparently, doing your own pyrotechnics could do a lot of property damage. Evan didn't want to waste money, so he tried to fix them, but he needed certain expensive parts. Money would definitely be good right now.

Carter swallowed silently. "How much?"

"Oh, about three thousand. The guy you'll be offing is a pretty big crime lord. You might need Sam and Evan for this."

"I'll call them up."

"Good girl." Cordelia smiled a genuine smile and kissed her granddaughter's forehead. "We'll have a special transport waiting for you. The crime lord's name is Nikola Hydra, or at least that's the name he goes by. Don't forget your special charm bracelet and costume." And with that she walked out.

Carter sighed. Cordelia was the type of person who was only happy when she got what she wanted. Sure, she was pretty flexible most of the time, but she was stubborn. Carter pulled up the sleeve of her left arm, just enough to show the charm bracelet underneath. It was a simple silver chain encircling her wrist with seven silver charms on it: a bow, a sheath full of arrows, a .45 caliber gun, an athame, a standard ninja sword, a shield, and a scythe. These weren't ordinary charms; will energy into any of them and out popped out a genuine weapon, capable of certain destruction. All Slayers had one, and all of them started out with a ninja sword and a shield. You were allowed newer charms after you had mastered using those two. The scythe was Carter's personal favorite.

Carter hid her masterpiece under her pillow and walked past the plasma screen to her walk-in closet- yet another amazing luxury she had been given and was very thankful for. She picked her slaying outfit: a black pantsuit with a small tight skirt attached at the waist, black fingerless gloves, black zip up boots with a one and half inch heel, and a pure white mask that covered her entire face, bang and all. It was a stark contrast from all the darkness. Sam would be wearing a similar outfit and Evan would be wearing the boy version.

Carter quickly dressed, then walked out the room, down the spiraling staircase to the garage where the hearse was, engine running and warm.

* * *

><p>A giant rat creature was eating its own kind when Kevin rolled up in his car. Kevin was meeting Argit, the seedy con-man who Kevin had worked with for years after he did his time in the Null Void. Okay, so maybe Argit wasn't really a rat, but he looked like one.<p>

"Kevin, dude, I've been waiting for you for, like, an hour," Argit the porcupine-rat man complained as Kevin rolled down the car window.

"I said I'd be here and here I am," Kevin replied. "What's your offer?"

"I got that tech you're looking for," Argit sneered. Kevin was all ears now.

"What makes you think I'm looking for anything?" Kevin countered.

"Aw, come on. Octagon Vreedle says you've been vid-messaging all the underground swappers, looking for a specific piece of alien tech, and I got it!" Argit smiled his creepy smile.

"For real?" Kevin exclaimed. And then he remembered who he was talking to. "What's in it for you?"

"Ah! Why do you always have to assume _I _want something? Can't you believe that I want to help someone from the bottom of my heart?" Argit pretended to look heartbroken, in hopes of earning some sympathy from Kevin.

"No."

"You are so off my contact list." Argit actually got his cell phone out and deleted Kevin's number. And then he started walking away. Kevin immediately drove his car past him, trying to make him lighten up.

"Come on, Argit. You've burned me on so many deals so many times that I forgot how tight we really are." That was exactly what the con wanted to hear. He stopped and held out a fist to Kevin.

"Kev, I just can't stay mad at you. At least not when there's money involved," Argit added as he and Kevin fist-bumped.

"So let's see it."

"…Well…"

"You don't have it, do you?"

"No, but I can make the connection with the guy who does." Argit looked at Kevin. "I'm warning you though; it's going to cost you."

* * *

><p>Carter was in the backseat as James, the totally awesome chauffeur, drove to Sam's Japanese-style mansion. Sterling Hills was a plush community with families from all over the world; there was no doubt that these families wanted homes that reminded them of their homeland. But Sam wasn't Japanese, she was Russian with a hint of Irish blood from her father, and the DuBaer family had bought the imperial home from a Japanese physicist. The house itself was fairly large, with slanted rooftops and wood panels for the walls. They had normal doors on the inside, but on the outside the doors were covered in rice-paper, like in Imperial Japan. It even had its own dojo, though that had been added in after the DuBaer's moved in. The Dubaers' were weapons fanatics, creating new war weapons for militaries all over the world, above or under. They didn't care how much blood was spilt, as long as the paycheck was hefty.<p>

Cordelia loved that family to a fault.

Sam appeared on the ancient-looking rooftop, dressed all in black in the exact same costume as Carter. The only difference was that her mask was red, and that she had hidden her vibrant hair in a black wig. Sam jumped off the roof, using her ninja skills to disappear at times and appear in a different location. Eventually she jumped down next to the hearse and climbed in silently. The two didn't talk until they had reached Evan's place.

The Force family lived in a sci-fi world; Evan's dad was the CEO of Force Industries, creating video games like Sumo Slammers and the like. Michelangelo-Evan's dad- was creating a new way of playing video games, where you were the character and you could feel what the character was experiencing. The Force family wasn't just interested in just video games- all technology was fair game. Their house was pure white with a large dome connected to the left side, where the experiments happened. The house had state of the art security and a large, expansive garden. Carter swore that the mansion looked like the futuristic house from the Disney movie _Meet the Robinsons._

Carter's own house looked like a fairly normal French mansion, save for the four gargoyles in the cardinal directions on the roof. The building had a lovely roof with hundreds of windows with shutters and railed balconies and handy clean gutters, making it easy to sneak onto the roof. The house was painted a light blue color, a contrast to the dark insides. The mansion was led from a wrought-iron fence with a small road leading up the giant oak doors. A giant spiraling French garden surrounded the mansion with its overpowering colors giving the place the needed French touch.

Evan was already in the hearse when Carter snapped back to the present. He was wearing a thermal black top with long sleeves, black Capri pants that billowed out from his combat boots, and a short black wig to hide his real hair color. He was putting on his fingerless gloves at this point, with his green mask right beside him. Strange. Evan was usually on top of things like that.

"Something wrong, Evan?" Carter asked, her voice muffled thanks to the mask.

"My little sister was raising hell again," Evan said blithely, finally attaching his mask.

"What about?" Sam asked, not really caring.

"How should I know? She's fourteen! It was probably about how she should stay up late like I do," Evan snapped, throwing his head back. His step-sister and step-mom weren't Slayers; they had no idea of the things Evan had done for some pocket money or his true role in the universe. Everyone wanted to keep it that way.

"Everyone knows what to do?" Carter asked them. They all nodded. "We're going just outside of Bellwood. Apparently Hydra's got a new shipment of illegal weapons for his little army."

"New amps here we come!" Evan cheered as the hearse flashed past the RV park.

* * *

><p>It was early evening. Kevin was under the Rust Bucket 2, fixing it up in case Grandpa Max came back soon. It had been a week since the Alan thing and two weeks since the police had discovered the RV and searched it. Only yesterday did they allow the yellow tape to fall on the area.<p>

Ben and Gwen were on lawn chairs, looking through Max's old treasure box of memories. Or at least Gwen was. Ben was just being lazy and enjoying the night air. Gwen suddenly chuckled at something.

"Remember this, Ben?" she showed her cousin the picture of back when they were kids, during the summer when Ben got the Omnitrix. Gwen and Ben were staring daggers at each other; only Grandpa Max was smiling. Ben smiled.

"Some things never change," he remarked, looking at his cousin. She was smiling too. Neither had made a jab at each other all afternoon.

"RV's fixed," Kevin suddenly announced. He got out from under the vehicle and got it ready so he could start the engine. Gwen put away the picture and walked to the RV, preparing to put away the memory box. Kevin quickly intercepted her. "Not just yet," he said with a pleasant smile. He then quickly climbed into the RV, leaving Gwen to close the door.

"Not buying the whole nice guy act, Kevin!" Ben yelled out, earning a scathing glare from Gwen.

Kevin was in the front seat, holding out his Plumbers' badge. It beeped, and the front part of the steering wheel showed the alien technology underneath. "I'm trying out the engine!" Kevin called out to the Tennysons. He promptly started it, hearing the smooth sound of the working engine.

Ben, who was still outside with Gwen, gave a thumbs up. "Not bad, Levin!" he approved, right before Kevin started pretending he was in a NASCAR race. The RV swerved, nearly knocking Ben and Gwen away, and then it rode out into the streets as fast as it could go.

"That lying son of a bitch!" Ben swore, acting completely out of character.

"Ben!" Gwen scolded like Kevin didn't deserve it. Ben immediately started running and pawing at his Omnitrix, eventually becoming a blue alien with wings like a mix between a butterfly and a bat.

"Big… Chill!" Ben said in the alien's voice. He then flew towards Kevin.

Kevin had definitely been expecting Tennyson to try and stop him. That was why he hadn't been surprised when he saw a big freaky alien flying his way. With a nasty grin, Kevin flipped one of the switches on the control panel. Out came a big ass laser cannon pointed directly at Ben. Ben dodged the red lasers and attempted to freeze Kevin in his tracks, but to no avail. Kevin aimed for one of the lasers to hit Ben squarely in the chest. That was when Ben discovered one of Big Chill's hidden powers: the power to turn intangible, like a ghost. Ben then tried to freeze the road, only to have Kevin hit a switch that installed spikes to the tires, letting the young hooligan break through the ice and keep driving.

And that was when Ben tried to push Kevin off the cliff, only to have Kevin safely swerve off and keep driving on the road below them. Kevin, getting tired of all this nonsense, hit another switch-seriously, what was with all these switches?-, sending a missile at Ben, which blew up into a net. As Ben was left to fend for himself, Kevin rode away safely, much to Ben's chagrin.

As the net pixilated and Ben reverted to human form, Gwen finally caught up with him, using her mana to create pink steps to allow her air travel. "Whoa," Gwen said when she landed, rather charmed by the whole bad boy thing. Ben glared at her. Gwen reversed tracks. "I can't believe he did that!"

"I did. I should have seen this coming! Kevin's nothing but a liar and a thief!"

"Kevin's changed, and so have we." Gwen got out a white handkerchief. "I can track him with this."

"You kept his sweaty handkerchief?" Ben cried indignantly. Gwen looked at him sheepishly before using her mana to track Kevin down.

* * *

><p>Carter should have known better than to let Sam hold the map.<p>

"I'm telling you, Hydra's going to be here!" Sam pointed to the desert part of the map.

"No, he's going to be here!" Evan pointed to the part of the map that showed the coast.

Carter exploded. "Shut up, both of you! We'll just look around until we find him like we always do!" Sam and Evan fell silent, but still glared at each other.

The Pride had been dropped off at the sea port outside of Bellwood, waiting for Hydra's shipment. They knew what he looked like- Cordelia had sent a picture: a short fat man wearing an expensive suit and a toupee. The three of them were hidden among the crates, the port silent except for the crash of the waves and the whistle of the breeze. None of them were cold. Their suits were built for worse conditions.

And then they saw the expensive cars roll up when a small cargo ship made an unexpected stop here. Numerous goons got out and surveyed the perimeter. They thought they were so smart, but their tracking skills were amateurish at best. Carter, Sam, and Evan were well hidden among the crates.

And then out came Nikola Hydra in all of his tubby glory. They waited until the cargo ship was officially anchored and the sailors on it were all accounted for before the Pride made their move.

Using half ninja skills and half shadow travel, the Pride moved swiftly among the ranks. There weren't that many, just about forty guys. In the outer ring, Sam willed some energy into one of her favorite charms, the twin broadswords, an ancient Chinese weapon made for slashing and chopping. Both looked like knives used for Chinese cooking. They appeared in a second, but they weren't silver. They both had a black hilt with a blade that looked like gold. Sam crept up to the first guy and promptly chopped his head off. Blood spewed everywhere, alerting the next few goons of the attackers.

But Evan got them first. He willed his own favorite twin weapons, the Colt M1911 pistols with silencers, and easily shot the alerted goons. Evan never used normal bullets. No, he used his own life force to first shoot green energy bullets at the goons, then the guns absorbed the newly dead's last remaining life force to use as bullets instead. A handy little technique, and inexpensive too.

Carter went up ahead and laid waste to ten or so bodyguards with her scythe, black with evil veins polluting the pure blade. The Pride continued to kill until the sailors warned Hydra what was going on. But they were too slow. A few shots to the head were enough to take care of them. Carter and Evan boarded the ship to take care of the rest of the crew, while Sam stayed behind to take care of Hydra.

Nikola Hydra took one look at Sam's blank red mask and immediately started begging. "P-please don't kill me! I don't want to die!" he groveled. Sam stayed still for a long moment, her broadswords an inch from Hydra's neck. And then she willed them back.

Hydra sneered."You stupid bitch!" he whipped out a pistol from his coat pocket and aimed it at Sam. He felt his hand burn suddenly. He screamed in pain as the metal of the pistol melted into his hand, blistering it into deformity.

With a flick of her wrist and a spark of energy, Sam willed one of her all time favorite weapons into her hands: a simple chainsaw. She could hear Hydra blubber and try to crawl away as Sam brought the motor to life. The smell of Hydra's urine clouded the air in front of her. Sam slowly walked over the pathetic victim and brandished her loud weapon.

Nikola Hydra's screams were music to Sam's ears.

* * *

><p>Today was officially was the worst day in Kevin's life. First Argit stole the Rust Bucket out from under him, and then when he tried to get it back, the little weasel lied to Ben and Gwen about him and called him a backstabber. And when he tried to strike a deal with Vulcanus for the alien tech he needed, his ex-partner forced Kevin to absorb tatenite, the rarest living gem in the galaxy, and have his minions mine it off of him as payment for a double cross a few years back. And then Vulcanus said that he was going to mine Kevin forever <em>and <em>refused to give the holo-viewer to Ben.

Fortunately for Kevin, Ben and Gwen showed up to save his hide. Apparently, the whole 'bad boy act mad and storm off' act didn't work.

But now Kevin could only watch from his crouched position as Ben- as Big Chill- took on Vulcanus and Gwen defeated the robot minions. Gwen suddenly flew through the air thanks to her karate training, giving her a better edge against them. Kevin couldn't help noticing her sleek form. Not that she would ever go out with him.

And then Gwen totally annihilated those bozos and disappeared to help Kevin.

Vulcanus thought he had Ben cornered, only to have him use his intangibility and freeze Vulcanus's armor from the inside, forcing it to crack and revealing what a giant baby he was.

Gwen quickly used her pretty pink mana to destroy the cuffs that were holding Kevin hostage. When they were off, Kevin slowly reverted back to his human self, though his clothes had been ripped up and he felt like he had been running a marathon. He had been very happy when Gwen let him fall into her arms.

Ben reverted back to his human self and he immediately ran towards Kevin. He was no longer angry at him. "Easy," Gwen said softly as she helped the poor boy stand. And then they shared a romantic moment, just staring at each other. Ben awkwardly looked away and saw Vulcanus, happily throwing Kevin's tatenite in the air.

"What do we do with him?" he asked, spoiling the moment.

"What about him? We're even," Kevin added bitterly before the three left happy Vulcanus alone. "Wait," Kevin suddenly said, forcing the others to stop. Kevin picked up the holo-viewer, the one Vulcanus offered him and then tossed aside.

"That's what you were after?" Ben asked, bewildered. "You have hundreds of those!"

"I hear this one's special," was all Kevin said as he handed the precious device to Ben.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Think about it. I'm an ex-con. I've done a lot of stuff I'm not proud of." Kevin looked directly at Gwen. "Stuff that if you knew, you would probably never trust me again. So next time I say drop it, drop it." Gwen smiled and put a hand on his shoulder.

"That's not how it works, Kevin."

"It's not what you did that matters, it's what you're going to do," Ben added for Kevin's benefit.

Kevin, perhaps a bit embarrassed, only said, "Are you going to look at that or not?" He gestured to the holo-viewer. Ben started it, and out popped out a hologram of Grandpa Max.

"Ben, if you've found this message, it must mean you're in it pretty deep. There's not a lot I can reveal yet, but I can still tell you this: _You can't go it alone. _By now, you've been meeting other Plumber's kids, but you have to find more. _You need to form a team. _That includes any Slayers' kids and the Pride. We have to put aside our differences for the greater good." And then the message fizzled out.

* * *

><p>When Ben got home that night, he was dog tired. He should have been out having fun like a normal kid, or at least been stopping some evil alien plot, but no, it didn't happen like that. And now all Ben wanted to do was curl up and sleep in his nice, comfy bed.<p>

And then he spied the giant book Carter had given him right next to his bed, and a pang of guilt ricocheted through him. All week he had avoided reading it, scared at what he might find. But even though Carter had been a great sport and had not bothered asking for it back, she soon would. Ben had to at least make an effort to read the book.

Ben turned on his bed side lamp and cracked open the book. It was written a bit like a history textbook, index and all. Ben flipped through the first page and started reading:

_**The planet Gaia was created by Erda the Earth God, Father of Nature itself and the Earthshaker. He lived alone on the barren rock for thousands of years, creating new species that are now extinct today. Soon he grew tired of solitude, so he created a companion: Kirche, the Fire Goddess, Queen of War and Carnage. She created and erupted volcanoes, turning the earth intolerable for life. Erda soon grew tired of her constant anger, and after a few thousand years, created Aquaria, the Water Goddess and the official Mother of all the future minor deities. Unlike dangerous Kirche, Aquaria was nurturing and gentle, coaxing life to evolve into its newest glory. But Aquaria was not to be messed with, for she had a temper all of her own, creating hurricanes that could submerge continents in a single sweep.**_

_**After a millennia or so, Aquaria grew lonely with just Kirche and Erda. So to appease the goddess, Erda created Ventus, the Air God and Lightning Wielder. He was whimsical and childish, but also stubborn and proud. To learn more about their relationship, turn to Chapter 1, section 2…**_

That was when Ben's fatigue finally overtook him, and he fell asleep, pushing the book onto the floor.

* * *

><p><em>I'll reveal more about the history of the Slayers as the story goes on. I'm taking quite a bit from Roman mythology, so head's up there.<em>

_As for Gwen and Kevin's relationship, I'm not going to dabble on it too much, since I want to see if Kevin would date a girl more like him. I wonder who could that be?_

_As you know, you have only heard Ventus speaking to Ben. The other main gods haven't bothered to talk to their vessels. Hopefully that'll change in the next chapter._

_As usual, review please._


	6. Stealing Can Be a Lot of Fun

Chapter 6: Stealing Can Be a Lot of Fun

_I've been watching the early episodes for Ben 10: Alien Force, and I have to say, I don't like Gwen. I mean, sure, she's a pretty awesome fighter, but she's too naïve and hopeful. And in the earliest episodes, she follows Kevin around like a sad puppy. I found it very pathetic._

_I forgot to mention: I will also be using some stuff from Avatar: The Last Airbender. One of the things is the fighting styles. Water benders use T'ai chi ch'uan, Earth benders use Hung Ga kung fu, Fire benders use Northern Shaolin kung fu, and Air benders use Baguazhang, according to the wiki on Avatar. I'll have Carter, Evan, Sam, and Ben use those particular martial arts respectively for the most part, but they'll still use other fighting skills, like street fighting._

_This chapter is kind of a filler, since it doesn't really follow the story line but it's after the last episode. There might be a lot of these types of chapters in the story, so watch out for that._

_I want to use this chapter to see if Kevin would go for any girl besides Gwen. Let the experimentation begin. *evil grin*_

* * *

><p>Sam should have been partying it up with Carter and Evan. It was later the same night. They had already called Cordelia and told her how successful the mission was, and she had sent a clean-up team to take care of the nasty part of getting rid of all the bodies. They then went to Carter's castle-slash-home to pick up their pay check. On arrival, Evan had immediately told Isaac to put in money for new amps. After taking care of that- Evan had ordered some cheap amplifiers- they still had a good two thousand between the three of them. After splitting up the money evenly, Sam had opted going to a club to celebrate the good news. But Carter simply wanted to go to bed and Evan claimed that he had mad scientist stuff to do-Sam knew better than to ask. So Sam was stuck in the underground club Breaker, a decrepit old building made especially for high school students, complete with a bar with everything except alcohol, tables put in an irregular pattern, and a live band. This week's sucky band was Death to the Adults, some crappy screamo band that didn't deserve a contract.<p>

Sam was at the end of the bar, nursing an Arnold Palmer and watching the couples grind each other on the dance floor, under the disco ball. How anyone could dance to this crap was beyond her. But Sam wasn't interested in that. She was on the lookout for teenage alpha males. These teenage boys knew they were good-looking and often hunted attractive women at clubs, searching for a score. After they were through with these women, the alpha male threw them away for another female, leaving the victim crushed and heartbroken. The sure signs of an alpha male were attitude, intimidation, and strength, often starting fights to enforce their dominance. The alpha male also thought that they claimed sexual rights to all females, and often had relationship problems due to their wandering eye.

Sam hated alpha males. That was why when she caught the eye of one in particular, she would lure them into the back alley, pretending that she wanted a quiet place to make out, before knocking the male out cold. Sam would then steal all of his valuables: wallet, cell phones, detachable jewelry, and, if she was feeling really mean, their clothes. It was easy to mind wipe the male; all of the Pride and the other Slayer officials knew how to. All they had to do was touch their forehead and select the memories they wanted to erase. Of course it was more complicated than that, but there was no real way to describe how to do it.

Sam searched the crowd for alpha males. Tonight she saw a lot of beta males. Beta males were the exact opposite of alpha males, non-confrontational and intelligent. They were usually branded "nerds" by the alpha males, but most women found them more interesting than the alphas. They were also usually okay with non-traditional gender roles, something alpha males have trouble with. Despite being more introverted, betas have a quiet confidence to them, making more women attracted to them in modern times. Sam would never steal from a beta male.

Aha. Sam had caught the eye of an alpha male. Blond hair, tanned skin, jeans and a white tee shirt to show off the tan. He smiled and slowly made his way to Sam. Sam slowly sipped her drink and tried to look bored. The boy flashed a smug grin, like he knew that Sam would be his in a matter of seconds. Sam couldn't wait to punch him.

"Hey," the alpha male said as he sat next to her. "Hey yourself," Sam replied in a bored tone, swirling her drink with the straw. "What's pretty girl like you doing all by herself?" the male's voice was cracking a bit, and he flashed his smug grin again. What a loser.

"Looking for some action."

"Then how about dancing with me?"

Didn't he have the decency to at least ask for her name first? But it didn't really matter. The boy wouldn't bother trying to remember her later, even if Sam didn't mind wipe him. "I have a better idea." Sam smiled before downing the rest of her Arnold Palmer. She then took his hand and led him around the dance floor. The boy's grin faltered a bit, since he wasn't sure what Sam was planning. But when he saw the exit sign for the back alley, his grin showed all his teeth. It wasn't hard to guess what he was thinking.

It wasn't hard to slip out without triggering the alarm; the owner never bothered fixing it, since couples always went back here. After making sure the coast was clear, Sam promptly whirled around and punched the smug boy in the face. The boy faltered a bit before slumping to the ground. Sam immediately swooped down and placed a hand on his forehead and closed her eyes. The images flashed before her closed eyelids: meeting Sam, Sam smiling as she led him to the alley… It wasn't hard erasing these memories. The victim, after getting his memory wiped, always stayed asleep for a long time. That was why it was easy for Sam to rob these posers.

The whistle of the wind as Sam's fist collided with alpha boy's face. The sweet crushing sound as Sam punched his face in. The thirst for more blood whenever Sam did stuff like this. It was all so familiar, so comforting. This is what all Kirche's vessels felt; Sam was no exception. All of Kirche's descendents were psychotic in some way.

_**Psychotic? **_Kirche's scratchy voice rang out in Sam's head. Sam could feel the mental wall falling. The vessel's brain had to care for two minds. To make sure there was some privacy, one of them created a mental wall, only pulling it down when it was needed. Again, hard to explain.

_**Of course you're psychotic. You all take after me, every last one of you. At least with some of you, you only took your anger out on the dregs of humanity. Your sanity probably won't be spared, though. **_Kirche's voice sounded like it smoked a pack a day. Sam was used to her voice and her bluntness. It was comforting knowing the psychotic thoughts weren't entirely her fault. But Kirche was always right about one thing; Sam enjoyed stealing from the bad guys, making them feel the grief and frustration of being one-upped by someone else. This wasn't Kirche's influence. It almost never was.

Sam searched the male. He had only a wallet and a silver cell phone, an old model. As Sam was pocketing them, she heard a laugh.

"I feel really bad for the guy," said a voice wafting from behind Sam. She whirled around, ready to attack. It was a man no older than sixteen, with long black hair and piercing dark eyes. He had a lot of muscle and his black t-shirt showed them off without actually showing them off, if that was possible. The black shirt was paired with a long white under shirt with jeans and combat boots. But what Sam really paid attention to was his arrogant smile.

"Why would you feel sorry for a dick like him?" she countered, shoulders tense. Her charm bracelet was at the ready.

"A pretty girl just knocked him out and is now robbing him blind. Obviously I would feel bad for him." The arrogant smile left his face. "Unless he deserved it. What did he do to you?"

"Nothing yet," Sam admitted. "But I know his type: cocky, thinks girls are property and can be discarded like trash…" She shook her head. "He had it coming."

"But he didn't do anything to _you_."

"Technically, no."

"What are you, a vigilante?"

Sam actually had to think about that. All Slayers were referred to as being vigilantes, seeking justice for even the tiniest of crimes, minor in the grand scheme of things. Sam had never really thought about it; to her, it had simply been a job, or something she did in her spare time, like a beloved hobby. "So what if I am?" she asked the man before her.

The man shrugged. "Nothing wrong with that, I guess. But do you have to take his money?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"It's the only thing I can take from him that he would really miss."

The man raised an eyebrow. "I can name one thing that he wouldn't miss." Sam glared at him.

"I'm a thief, not a rapist." He raised his hands in surrender.

"Never said you were. My name's Kevin." The man named Kevin walked over to her and held out a hand, his smile no longer arrogant. Sam hesitated for a moment, then grabbed the hand and shook it. "I'm Sam."

Kevin peered over at the unconscious boy next to Sam. "What do we do about him?"

"Leave him," she sneered. "I'll leave his cell, though. That way he can actually get home." Sam took out the cell phone and dropped it near the alpha male. What? Even she could show compassion when it was necessary. And it was definitely necessary now. Kevin was a very good-looking teenager, and (if Sam was right) if he was Kevin Levin, then he was the notorious right-hand man in numerous scams and weapons' deals. Sam had finally found a new kindred spirit, someone who can steal without remorse and not give a damn about the world at large. Even if the two of them never got together, they could probably still be friends. And that was more than Sam could ever ask for.

_**Ah, young love, **_Kirche teased inside Sam's mind. Even Sam couldn't help smiling a little at that. Kevin stared at her.

"What are you smiling about?"

"One of the voices inside my head said something funny." Which was truer than Kevin could possibly imagine.

* * *

><p>Sam and Kevin were in one of those twenty-four hour cafes, full of drunken college students trying to get sober with coffee and older people trying to get a groove back in their relationship. The two of them were in the back behind a wall and tucked into a corner, which was a pretty good hiding place. They had already gotten their drinks and were now conversing.<p>

"You seem like you have a lot of secrets," Kevin commented as he opened the cap of his sweetened iced coffee. Kevin had admitted that he wasn't much a coffee drinker, preferring sweet to bitter. Sam had liked his honesty, and had said that she didn't like coffee either, which was true. That was why she had gotten this orange Tazo tea that actually tasted really good.

"Maybe I do. Maybe I have secrets that if you knew them, you wouldn't want anything to do with me ever again." Sam stared Kevin down. She might as well say some of the truth, just to let Kevin know what he was getting into.

"I think everyone has secrets like that," Kevin said with an uneasy smile.

"Do they, Levin?" Sam looked at Kevin over the rim of her drink as she took a sip of it.

"How did you know?" Kevin's smile had completely disappeared. He was now staring at Sam with suspicion.

"Relax, I know you're an Osmosian," Sam said calmly, finally setting her drink down.

"So does that mean-"

Sam didn't give him a chance to finish that sentence. She willed just a tiny spark of fire power into her finger, so that a little flame would appear. Kevin stared at it in amazement before Sam snuffed it out.

"What exactly are you doing in Bellwood?" Kevin was no longer as suspicious as before, but still, it never hurt to have his guard up.

"I got word of some creepy alien stuff going on here. My superiors ordered me to get to the bottom of it along with my associates," Sam answered. Cordelia had said not to reveal herself to Ben; she never said anything about his friends. And besides, Sam wasn't telling him the complete truth anyway, just the little facts. But to make sure Kevin believed her on that, she got out her Plumbers badge, which looked like all the standard badges out there.

"Why are you telling me the truth? Why not just lie and say you've always been here?"

"Because I know you work with Ben."

"Have you always known?"

"No, I only knew your name, not your face." That wasn't a complete lie, not really; the DuBaer family had a profile for every middle man in this galaxy. Sam had never seen Kevin's face, but she had seen him from a distance back at the cornfield, where she and her friends had scared Alan. That was why she had been able to make the connection back in the alley.

"Who are your superiors?" Kevin asked.

"That's confidential," Sam replied coolly.

"Who told you I worked with Tennyson?" Kevin was not going to be deterred by this girl.

"My superiors," Sam replied.

"Are you going to keep giving me short answers?" Kevin asked angrily.

"I'll stop when you stop asking these questions!" Sam answered hotly.

Kevin slumped back in his seat, utterly defeated. "Okay, just one more question. Were you planning on meeting me back at the Breaker?"

"No, I wasn't. I was just planning on robbing some alpha male for cash when you showed up," Sam said truthfully. Kevin smiled at that.

"Do your superiors know what you do in your spare time?"

"That's two questions," Sam warned playfully. "And yes, they do. In fact, they encourage it."

"They do?" Kevin asked, surprised.

Sam smirked. "I never said we were good people."

Kevin studied her for a moment before asking, "Are you a Slayer?" Sam glared at him.

"And if I am?" she countered, completely forgetting herself.

_**Good job, **_Kirche snarled. _**You completely blew your cover. **_

_Shut up!_ Sam yelled mentally, forcing the wall to go up again.

Kevin held up his hands in surrender. "I was just wondering. Besides, Ben wants to team up with you guys."

"But we're too different," Sam protested, revealing what she really thought about the whole operation for the first time.

"True, but the freaky alien stuff going on here is forcing us to team up," Kevin said grimly, taking a sip of his iced coffee for the first time since he got here. He grimaced before continuing. "Besides, none of us are Plumbers, if that's what you're worrying about."

It actually was; Sam knew that Ben had the Omnitrix, which gave him automatic leeway into Plumber business, but he didn't know if the rest of his team were official Plumbers. But after hearing that…

"That's actually a relief," Sam said with a smile, a genuine one. Kevin returned it. "I guess this means I have to tell my superiors that I met up with you," Sam said out loud. She didn't know how Cordelia and Isaac would react to this. She hadn't said anything about her true goal, and yet she had revealed that she was a Slayer. And it wasn't like Kevin was going to wonder if she was with the Pride, would he?

"If you think you have to. And I think this means that we have to get along together." Kevin gave her a little leer, which Sam returned. Kevin found Sam interesting, to be honest. Sure, she was a Slayer, and probably with the Pride, but that didn't mean she wasn't a normal fifteen-year-old girl. Okay, maybe not normal, but she had normal teenager needs, didn't she?

"So, tell me, do you have a girlfriend?" Sam asked. If she wanted to know this guy, she needed to know something as simple as that. Kevin suddenly stopped smiling.

"No…" he said slowly.

"You have someone in mind." Sam didn't say it like a question.

"Yeah. She's a total sweetheart and a really good person. But that's the problem." Kevin stared at his coffee. It no longer appealed to him.

"You're not a good person." Again, she said it like it was a fact.

"No, I'm not. She deserves better than me, but…" Kevin looked away. Here he was, spilling his guts to some girl he just met not even an hour ago, and he didn't even know if she could be trusted with this information. But there was something about her eyes, her pretty copper-colored eyes, that made him trust her.

Sam swirled her drink thoughtfully. She had figured that Kevin would have someone in mind. From what she knew about Gwendolyn Tennyson, she was a good student in school, a great fighter, and a good daughter. Her record was completely clean. From the look of things, she was too good for Kevin, but Gwen was probably into the bad boy thing. That was a foolish mistake. Dating a bad boy almost never worked out. Still, there was a chance that it _could_ work...

_**What are you doing?**_ Kirche had barged in once again. Usually she wasn't all up in Sam's business, letting the vessel live her life without the watchful eyes of her godly counterpart. Sam was really starting to get angry here.

_**Don't waste your energy on me. Lure and trap the boy while he's still confused! Or do you not want him after all?**_ Sam quickly put up the mental wall and turned her attention back on Kevin. She really shouldn't try to change his mind on this, but she also kind of liked Kevin.

"I don't know this girl, but from the look of things, I'd say that she might like you," Sam started. Kevin looked up, a look of surprise on his handsome face. "But like you said, you're not exactly the best person to date. At least, not with someone who's your exact opposite."

"What are you saying?" There was that suspicious glare again.

"Nothing, except if you really cared for this girl, you'd do what's right for her." Sam would let that stew in his head for a while. She excused herself to the restroom and left Kevin alone.

It seemed to Kevin that Sam had a good point. Kevin threw his head back as if it was a good way to think. Kevin did care for Gwen, no doubt there. But she _was_ a good person; she had trusted Kevin even when he didn't think he could trust himself. But Gwen deserved better than him, someone nice and smart and, well, normal. Or at least more normal than Kevin. But she was the reason why he joined Ben's team in the first place. But now that he thought about it, Kevin did kind of want to help save the world.

Kevin's eyes widened at that, but then they returned to normal and he smiled. He never thought he would actually think that. Sure, things would be awkward for a while, but Gwen would get over it. Kevin was very content when Sam came back.

"Something tells me you made your decision," Sam stated as she sat.

"Damn right I did. I care about Gwen; that's why I'm going to let her go," Kevin said like he was a poet. Sam gave him a small smile. She got out her phone, looked at the time, and made a _tsk_ sound. "I need to go," she said as she started to leave.

Kevin got out of his seat. "We need a way to keep in contact."

"Do you have a cell?" Sam asked as she prepared to type it in.

"No," Kevin admitted. "But that doesn't mean I can't call you." Sam smirked as she grabbed a clean napkin and a pen from her purse and neatly scribbled her cell phone number. She handed it to Kevin.

"Call me if you have any trouble." And then Sam added, as if it were an afterthought, "Or whenever. Whichever works for you."

Kevin grinned. "Come on, I'll drive you home." But Sam wouldn't let her see her home, not yet. She would just go to a random neighborhood in Bellwood and use Carter's subspace card to come home. She seriously needed one of her own.

_**Congratulations, Samantha, **_Kirche said with pride. _**Hopefully you can keep him for a long time.**_

Sam hoped so too.

* * *

><p>Ben awoke with a start. He couldn't remember his dream, but it had been disturbing. All he could really remember were flashes: a large man wearing a light blue toga and leather sandals, with a surfer's body. His eyes had been blue and smiling, his blond hair windswept. He had a small, pointed beard and pale skin. Ben knew the man was Ventus.<p>

There had been another man who looked like Ventus, but with brown, longer hair, a brown beard, and wise brown eyes that had seen too much in a long span of time. His toga was green, and he was wearing a wreath of oak leaves in the shape of a crown, the Civic crown of a Roman emperor. This was Erda, ruler of all the gods.

There had been women, too. One looked terrifying, with her flaming hair, eyes like pools of lava, and a Cheshire cat-smile, showing off rows of pointed, fanged teeth. She was dressed in a red toga, with knives strapped to her thighs and arms. The Queen of Carnage, Kirche, was always prepared for a bloody battle.

And finally, a woman in a dark blue toga, her long black hair braided, her bang the shape of a triangle, only upside down and covering the entire left side of her face. She had a light blue wrap around her shoulders, and her sea-green eyes were lit up with joy as she held hands with Ventus. This was lovely Aquaria, the official "mother" of all minor gods, and wife to Ventus.

But those flashes didn't scare Ben. What terrified him were the similarities: Erda looked like a serious, older version of Evan; Kirche looked like a homicidal Sam; and Carter had Aquaria's trademark bang.

That did it. Ben had to continue reading the book. He didn't care if it was three in the morning or that he was wasting electricity; he had to find out more. He turned on his lamp and cracked open the book once again.

* * *

><p>Ben couldn't read everything that was in there. He did pick up the general history, though.<p>

Erda, Kirche, Aquaria, and Ventus were the four main gods that ruled over the planet Gaia and its inhabitants. Aquaria was considered the mother of all the minor gods because she had produced so many with Ventus. There were other ways of making new creatures; the most common was by wishful thinking. The four gods, if brought together, could literally create a new life form just by thinking about it. A little bit of magic did help, though.

The people who feared and revered the gods were called Immortals, because to them a couple thousand years was like batting an eye. They all had one power, the power of flight. Since most Immortals were neither good nor evil, they were a mix in between. That meant that their wings had to be a mix as well: one wing was a normal angel wing, with glossy feathers, while the other was a demon wing, crinkly like a bat. Some were fully good, so they had angel wings; others were just fully bad. There wasn't a set color for all of them, so the wings could be blue for one person, green and red for another, or something else entirely. They were literally customized for the person who had them.

The Immortals lived in harmony with all the gods, learning their fighting techniques. That was why the Immortals were also called Slayers; they could kill anything with graceful ease. Their army was impossibly strong, and their planet so rich in natural resources, which was why numerous rulers from foreign planets wished to conquer them. But the Immortals could easily take the invaders.

Except for one creature, a demon so devastatingly powerful that it wiped out nearly all life on Gaia. Not even the gods could stop it. Before the destruction of their home world, the gods used the last of their power to save the people and sent them to a parallel dimension, where they could be safe from the beast.

But that last act was what nearly killed them. The gods had not understood the suffering of their people, how they didn't always want to fight and live in fear. To make sure the gods understood the Immortals, they became them, forcing their life force into individuals who could give birth to children who would carry the god power in them while still retaining their humanity- the children had to be one-fourth god, three-fourths something else to gain access to the power.

Ben tried to make sense of that last part. So, the gods put their life force into a bunch of Immortals, who would then breed a quarter god? That made sense, and yet it didn't.

_**You get used to that. **_Ventus had spoken for the first time in weeks. This time, it didn't surprise Ben. _Can you explain this to me? _He asked his godly half.

_**You already know: you are part god, but you are two parts human and one part Anodite.**_

_What's an Anodite?_

_**An energy being, like your cousin. I don't think you have any of those powers, though. It happens.**_

_Are you sure?_

_**Well, the Omnitrix might be suppressing it. That's the reason why I have trouble talking to you sometimes. That device is extremely powerful.**_

_But you're a god!_

_**In a teenage boy's body. I don't really have a lot power like this. If I took over your body, then it'd be another story.**_

_You can do that?_

_**I've done it plenty of times. But now is not the time for this. You need to rest, Ben. Everything will be revealed later, if you want.**_

And Ben did want that. He wanted to know why he had a god in his head, why Sam, Evan, and Carter were holding back so many secrets, and what to do next. Ben looked at the clock: five in the morning. In a couple of hours, he would see the others at Evan's house, with band instruments. He would decide if he wanted to join their band or not. And most of all, he would finally get some _answers_.

He just had to wait until later that day.

* * *

><p><em>Hopefully this explains a lot of things. I probably won't reveal a lot you don't already know in the next chapter. If anything sounds confusing, let me know, okay?<em>


	7. Will Someone Please Tell Me the Truth?

Chapter 7: Will Someone Please Tell Me the Truth?

_A few days ago, I was in my local library when I saw this book called _"The Slayer Chronicles". _You can imagine my surprise when I saw this for the first time. Now I have to really worry about people thinking my story is about hunting vampires._

_Also, I'm going on a trip out of country soon and I can't bring my laptop along. Then I have my summer English assignment to work on. It's safe to say that updates are going to be pretty slow. I apologize in advance._

* * *

><p>The alarm clock of evil woke Ben up.<p>

After hitting it shut, Ben sat up and rubbed his eyes. Why the hell did Evan insist on waking up early on a freaking Saturday? Nine in the morning was an ungodly hour on the weekend!

_**Ah, youth, **_Ventus teased. That startled Ben. When Ventus had spoken, it was if there had been a wall between the two counterparts, separating them from interfering with each other's lives. Now it felt like it was down, and Ben didn't know how to bring it back up again.

_**What, you don't want to talk to me? **_Ventus sounded sad and dejected.

_No, no! You just startled me, is all. Besides, you can't just start talking out of the blue like that. It's creepy._

_**True, but it's boring in your head. Talking to you is the highlight of being in here.**_

_Does that mean you're going to be watching me and the people around me, hoping for something that'll spark a conversation?_

_**You make it sound like it's a bad thing.**_

Ben rolled his eyes and started getting dressed. True, having someone watching you was stalker-creepy, but it wasn't like Ben could do anything in this situation. And from the look of things, he was going to be stuck with the god for a _long _time. He might as well get used to him.

_You still have to respect my privacy, _Ben thought to Ventus.

_**Obviously.**_

_Can I ask you a question?_

_**Fire away.**_

_Aquaria was your wife, right?_

_**Yes…**_

_And her current form is Carter?_

_**We call you vessels, since the god gene is passed down to different children in the same family every few generations and you use our power in exchange for us living in your head. But I assume that the girl you call Carter is Aquaria's current vessel.**_

…_You wouldn't try to push me to date Carter to get back together with your wife, would you?_

Ventus sighed quite audibly. _**Your love life is your own; I have no right to mess with it. Yes, I would like**_ _**to see my wife more often. But I'm not going to force you to date her vessel for my own personal gain. Now, if **_you _**want to date Carter, that's a different story.**_

_Thank you,_ Ben thought happily. Then something occurred to him. _How often do you see her? Your wife, I mean._

_**The winter and summer solstice for sure. But that's only on this plane. The astral plane is a different story.**_

_What's the astral plane?_

_**The astral plane is where all the gods go when they don't want to be cooped up in their vessels' body. I see Aquaria and all my friends there.**_

_I thought you said you couldn't leave my body._

_**I don't; I send most of me to the astral plane while a fragment stays here. That way, I know when you need my help.**_

_I don't get it. _By now Ben was dressed and was leaving his room for breakfast.

_**You don't have to get it, **_Ventus said. _**All you need to know is that I won't have to be all up in your business. **_And to prove his point, Ventus raised the barrier that separated the two of them, which ended the conversation.

* * *

><p>Ben was now waiting outside with his guitar strapped to his back. Evan had said that someone was picking him up to go to his house and, according to Evan, he was supposed to be here any minute now. Ben impatiently tapped his foot on the sidewalk, looking around for a car speeding his way.<p>

That was when he saw the hearse stop right in front of him. Out popped a middle aged man with gray in his blond hair, crinkly brown eyes, and a gray mustache. He was dressed in a black chauffeur uniform. He bowed to Ben and introduced himself as James. "Miss Carter, Miss Sam, and Mr. Evan humbly request that you join them for band practice." James's voice was deep and polite. Ben just stood there like an idiot.

James moved to the rear of the hearse and opened the car door for him. Ben, still in shock, awkwardly removed his guitar and shoved it into the car, and he followed. James slammed the door shut and moved to the front. Ben felt the soft black seats and marveled at the tinted windows. When James revved the engine and the hearse started moving, Ben decided that he needed to hear a little truth for a change.

"Tell me, James, who exactly are Sam, Evan, and Carter?" Ben studied James in the mirror, hoping to catch him in a lie. But James was a very careful man.

"Carter Valentine is the granddaughter of two highly successful doctors, who also founded the Valentine Hospital. Samantha DuBaer is the heir to the biggest weapons company in the world. And Evan Force is the son of the CEO of Force Industries, the third largest technology company in the world."

"Force Industries? Didn't they create Sumo Slammers?"

"Among other things."

"Why didn't they tell me the truth?"

"They were afraid of you treating them differently from everyone else." James stopped and looked at Ben through the rearview mirror. "Will you treat them differently now?"

"…I don't know," Ben said truthfully, because he hadn't thought up until that point. And then he thought of something else. "Do you know who I am?" Ben knew that Carter and the others were Slayers with the god gene, and since he had the god gene as well, that meant he was a Slayer as well. What he didn't know was who gave him the gene.

James raised his eyebrows at the silly question. "You are Ben Tennyson, grandson of Phineas Carmichael, son of Sandra and Carl Tennyson."

"Who's Phineas Carmichael?" Ben asked. By now they were well out his neighborhood and were now on city roads, weaving through the traffic.

"Phineas Carmichael is the head of Carmichael Media, which provides the world with numerous forms of entertainment, such as music, television shows, and radio, to name a few," James answered smoothly. He moved the car to the highway leading out of Bellwood.

"Why didn't I know he was my grandfather?"

"I suppose he didn't want to make himself known to you. As to why, I don't know."

Ben couldn't think of anything else to ask, so he stopped there. He sat back in his seat and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he saw the sign for Sterling Hills. _Of course they live here, _Ben thought wearily as the security guard waved the hearse through. They traveled up hills and winding roads, which connected to houses that looked like they belonged to the super rich. Which, to be honest, wasn't that far from the truth.

After about ten minutes, James pulled the car into a long, white driveway, which led to a large, white, futuristic mansion. There was a large glass dome on the left side, and it looked like someone was shooting off fireworks in there. "What's going on in there?" Ben asked James.

"The Force scientists are working on their newest projects," he answered smoothly. James quickly went to the right side, where there was a huge garage connected to the house. It opened, and James parked inside.

Ben waited for James to lead him out of the garage, but instead he got an old butler with balding hair and what looked like a stick for a spine. "Follow me, if you'd be so kind," he said, and he quickly went out the door with Ben struggling to keep up.

The halls were white as well, but with cozy paintings of fireplaces and framed pictures of family vacations. One of them was the family at a beach, with what looked like a nine-year-old Evan in green swim trunks and glasses. His hair was still long, but not long enough for a ponytail. He was building a sand castle with a little blond girl with freckles and brown eyes. She looked around seven, and she was clad all in pink. The parents were in the background, sitting in beach chairs and under large umbrellas. The mother looked like an older version of her daughter, while the father looked like an older version of his son. There were no physical similarities between the two siblings.

Ben continued following the butler to a large study. "The Valentines have wanted to speak to you for some time now," the butler said, leaving Ben by himself.

The study was vast, with bookshelves towering everything in sight. There was a large desk in front, and that was when Ben noticed the man and woman around it. The man was sitting, with a black three piece suit, graying blond hair slicked back to show off his handsome face. He had smiling blue eyes, unlike his wife. She was imposing, with her long white hair a stark contrast to her black suit jacket, mini skirt, and heels. Her gray eyes surveyed Ben with calculation, and her bang covered the entire left side of her face. Ben, holding the strap of his guitar case, cautiously approached the couple.

_**Isaac and Cordelia Valentine, **_Ventus hissed before falling silent. Because of that, Ben didn't notice the three teens surrounding him until the large oak doors closed. He turned around, alarmed, but calmed down a little when he saw it was just Evan and his friends, though they guarded the only escape route. They looked like soldiers-for-hire, with their hands clasped behind their backs, their chests out, and their expressions stoic.

"Welcome, Benjamin," Isaac said, showing off a British accent. "We've been expecting you for some time now. Please, sit." He gestured to the open chair in the middle of the room with a smile on his face. Ben walked over, gently leaned his guitar against him, and sat.

"You're here to tell me about Ventus, aren't you?" Ben started, unable to keep quiet any longer.

Cordelia raised an eyebrow. "We assume you've read most of the history book."

"Yeah, but it doesn't explain why I have him in my head." Ben pointed to his temple for emphasis. "It's a bit complicated," the gentleman said.

"Try me," Ben countered.

"When the gods were dying, they put their DNA, so to speak, into certain individuals so they could still live. Because the gods didn't understand their subjects' problems, they decided that they had to live among them and die among them to truly understand. And since human DNA is the closest to Immortal DNA, that species was chosen. Half Immortal and half human can still live far longer than the average human, so it was decided that three-fourths human and one-fourth Slayer would be sufficient. That way the vessels wouldn't get an unfair advantage." The man paused and waited.

Ben took the bait. "But Ventus said I'm part Anodite, whatever that is. Shouldn't I then have an unfair advantage?"

"Anodite's don't technically have DNA, since they are energy beings," Cordelia explained. "And just because you have an alien heritage doesn't necessarily mean that you'll have powers."

"Okay, then." Ben closed his eyes for a moment before continuing. "Do my parents know about this?"

"No. Your father, despite being part Anodite, has no idea about his alien family, not really. Your mother, despite her Slayer line, has no powers at all."

"My mother is a _Slayer_?"

"Technically, yes," the man continued. "When your grandfather Phineas met your grandmother, they had Sandra. Sandra showed no signs of having any power at all, so Phineas chose not to tell her about our society. We'd like to keep it that way."

Ben nodded, agreeing completely. "I have another question; how did I remove the Omnitrix back when I was ten?" He didn't notice Evan closing his eyes, Carter's eyes widening, or Sam sucking in a breath. He only saw Isaac and Cordelia, who showed no emotion at the impertinence.

"You got in the way of a Slayer mission. It's an incident that I don't want to repeat," Isaac finally said.

"But-" Ben stopped when he saw the glare Cordelia was giving him.

"We erased the memory from your conscious mind, but that doesn't mean you can't remember," she said curtly.

"Huh?"

"When a Slayer mind wipes a person's mind, they destroy certain brain cells that hold the most recent memory. But since the brain is an extremely complex piece of machinery, it should be possible for you to remember over time," Isaac explained patiently. "That is, if you truly want to remember."

Despite his frustration, Ben conceded and switched to a different topic. "Which one of you holds the Aquaria gene?" Cordelia smiled, the first one Ben had ever seen. She looked much more beautiful when she was smiling.

"I am the carrier for Aquaria, and Isaac-"-she gestured to him- "is the carrier for Lyrica, god of the arts. We pass down the gene every couple of generations, since the current vessels can't." Ben started to say something, but Cordelia cut him off. "We had our children through wishful thinking, making them half-Immortal and having Carter's mother marry a human. That's why our granddaughter has the Aquaria gene."

That explained quite a bit, actually. But Ben had a few more questions. "Why didn't you just come right and say all of this? Why make them lie and sneak around and try to befriend me?"

"If we had told you were the vessel for a god, you wouldn't have believed us," Isaac explained. "Also, Max called us a while back to tell us that the Pride had to team up with you. We believed the best way to gain your trust was to have them befriend you. The kids were just following our orders."

Ben turned his head at the three teens guarding the door. They tried to look stoic and imposing, but there was a degree of shame on their faces, and they refused to meet his eye. Ben wasn't mad at them, not really; if Grandpa Max had told him to do that, he would have done so, no question about it.

"I think I'm done here." Ben stood up and grabbed his guitar case. "If I have any more questions, can I ask you?"

"Of course, though it may be easier to ask your friends," Isaac said. Ben walked to the doors.

When the three didn't move, he said, with a genuine smile, "I think we have band practice right now." The three of them looked at each other, before Evan shouted, "DOG PILE!" Ben was completely unprepared when Evan, Sam, and Carter tackled him to the ground. "Watch the guitar!" he cried, praying that it hadn't been destroyed. The others didn't register it; they were too happy because Ben wasn't mad at them.

Isaac, still sitting behind the desk, turned to Cordelia. "That went better than expected."

* * *

><p>The Pride plus Ben were in the basement, a sound proof old storage facility with Sam's drums, Evan's bass guitar, three mike stands and some first-class amplifiers. Ben quickly got out his green Fender standard Stratocaster electric guitar and plugged it into the left amp.<p>

"You sure you want to be in a band with us?" Carter asked, climbing onto the makeshift stage. "Don't you have soccer and the High Breeds to worry about?"

"Don't forget your grandfather," Sam reminded him as she sat before her giant red drum set. Ben started tuning his guitar before answering.

"I don't think Grandpa wanted me to constantly worry about him. Speaking about grandfathers, why don't I know Phineas?"

Evan reached for his black Ibanez electric bass guitar. "You got the Omnitrix around the same time normal Slayers get their powers. The Omnitrix blocked the power from forming at first, but Ventus eventually contacted you. But because of your position, Phineas thought it was better if you didn't know anything while you had it on the first time. After you got it off, you were slightly catatonic, so Phineas decided not to let us come to you until after your powers started forming. Why it hasn't until now, I don't know."

"It really sucks for you since he has to train you to use and control Ventus's powers, and he might not," Carter remarked as she started to set up the mikes. "Though, with the Omnitrix on, I don't think you'll have too much trouble controlling it. Isaac will set up a time for you to start eventually. Right now I think he just wants you to absorb everything that was said today."

"That's good to know," Ben said with a smile. "So, what do we do first?" He gestured to Evan and Sam, who were tuning their instruments.

"Because you're new to this, I guess we'll start by practicing songs everyone already knows. That way we'll know when to start practicing our own songs."

"Cool," was all Ben said.

"What kind of music do you like?" Evan asked him.

"Rock."

"Fall Out Boy?" Carter asked.

"I don't know they're songs by heart."

"Panic at the Disco?" Sam asked from her perch.

"Same."

"There for Tomorrow?" Carter asked.

"Hell yes!" Ben cheered. "Can we do 'Pages' first?"

"Yes, yes we can." Sam started tapping her drumsticks together, and Evan and Ben began to play.

And Carter began to sing.

Ben almost stopped playing. Carter's voice was _beautiful;_ no singer in Hollywood had that much talent. It was clear and strong and gained power as the song progressed. It never strained, and Carter was able to hit every note perfectly. And Carter looked, well, happy when she was singing. She couldn't smile, but her eyes lit up with something close to joy. And Carter didn't just stand around when she was singing, either. She moved and danced a little in time with the music, full of energy. She was a complete natural for the stage.

When the song ended, Ben said, "That was totally amazing! You're a natural." Carter blushed a little.

"You're guitar skills aren't so bad either."

"What's the next song?" Evan asked, interrupting them.

"I only know There for Tomorrow," Ben admitted sheepishly.

"Then we'll just do that," Sam said before tapping out the next beat. And so the cycle repeated for the next hour or so.

* * *

><p>A lone girl was banging on the door of a mansion. "Michael, please! I need to see you!" The poor girl was crying, and she had strange marks on her arms; a black circle with a star in it. Suddenly, the door creaked open, and the girl, looking hopeful, slowly walked inside. The door behind her closed with a loud slam, and the girl was plunged in darkness.<p>

But not for long.

A handsome blond man with blue eyes and a Plumbers Badge on his belt was there, holding out a single hand. The girl walked over, sobbing with joy, and took his hand. Michael firmly clasped it, and his smile turned ugly. The girl never saw it coming. She screamed as her skin turned gray, her black hair lifeless, and all the energy was drained out of her. She slumped to the ground, a shadow of her former self. Michael's face twisted into a cruel grin as the energy swirled in him, feeding his never-ending hunger for power.

Michael Morningstar was a very powerful person. He could drain the life force of anyone, including the girl slumped to the floor. Of course, if he fed on her right now, she would die. But her energy would return soon enough, and the cycle would repeat itself. The girls had no control over themselves; they _wanted_ Michael to take their energy, even if it meant dying.

Michael picked up the girl and carried her to where all the other girls were kept. They're power wasn't sufficient for Michael, not anymore, but they made great minions. Michael needed a new source of pure energy, and soon. The hunger for it would soon be too much.

But where would he find such a source?

* * *

><p>Ben was with Kevin and Gwen now, at Mr. Smoothie. Band practice had ended on a good note, and next Saturday they were planning another, with Ben learning a song or two that Carter had made up. Right now Ben was sitting on the curb, repeatedly watching the message Grandpa Max had sent. Kevin was watching him, concern showing on his face. Gwen walked up to him, looking kind of peeved.<p>

Kevin smiled and gestured to Ben. "Do you think we should be worried? He's been watching that thing ever since we got here."

"Why haven't you asked me out yet?" was Gwen's response. Kevin choked a little on his smoothie.

"W-what?"

"You heard me. We spend a lot of time together, and it's pretty obvious you like me." Gwen smiled triumphantly.

"You don't know that."

"I can tell you're staring at me when you think I'm not looking."

"Gwen, can I be completely honest with you?" Kevin asked suddenly. Gwen raised an eyebrow.

"Of course."

"I think you're a good person. You trusted me when no one else did, and you try to see the good in me. But to be honest, I'm a bad person, and you don't deserve someone like me."

"You're breaking up with me?" Gwen asked indignantly.

"We weren't technically together, you know."

"Since when did you have the right to decide who I date?"

"You can date whoever you want, as long as they're better than me." The look on Kevin's face made Gwen's anger melt away, just a little bit. But then it flared back tenfold.

"Do you seriously think your protecting me when you say that? We're stuck together until we stop the High Breed invasion. I'm going to be in a lot of bad situations where I might have to do things I wouldn't normally do. I wouldn't be a good person then! You can't protect me from any of that!"

"That's completely different! And nothing you say is going to change my mind!" Gwen, knowing that she had lost this round, stalked off, embarrassed and angry and near tears. Kevin just stayed in the same position, leaning against the hood of his car. Gwen had every right to be angry at him, but it was for her own good. She might not realize it now, but she will eventually. She had to, or the High Breed invasion would succeed.

Kevin turned to Ben, who gave no indication that he had witnessed the fight. He was just sitting there, watching his grandfather talk about how he needed to form a team.

"You know, my dog used to nod a spot on his butt over and over. That's why we put a cone around his neck." Ben switched off the message and turned to Kevin.

"I'm not the one you're mad at."

"Cut me a break here!" Kevin grinned. "Want to go fight some aliens or somethin'?"

"Or something. Let me see your Plumbers Badge." Kevin gave it to him, and Ben opened up the holo-map. Instantly, he could see the blips that showed the location of another badge. "Do you think any of these belong to Slayers?" he asked Kevin. Kevin thought for a moment before deciding. "I actually met one yesterday."

Ben's eyes widened. "You did? And you didn't say?"

"It was late when I met her!" Kevin protested. "I was going to, but the time never seemed right until now." Ben sucked in a calming breath.

"Do you know what she looks like?"

"Her hair looked like it was on fire." Ben's eyes widened once more.

"I know her too," he breathed. "And her two friends." Even Gwen, who had been listening in from two paces away, walked over.

"How do you know them?" she asked, refusing to look at Kevin.

"They go to my school. They know about the High Breed invasion."

"Should we ask them to join us? You know, to find other Plumbers' kids?" Ben asked uncertainly.

"Grandpa did say we have to get along with them," Gwen conceded.

"Okay, then. I'll call them up and tell them the location. We're going to this one," Ben decided, pointing to the green blip on the map. He got out his phone and walked a pace away for privacy.

Kevin turned to Gwen. "Are you going to stay mad at me while we do this?" he asked. Gwen still wasn't looking at him.

"I plan on it," she answered caustically. She stormed off to the car and threw the backseat door open. Kevin winced at the brutal display against his car, but didn't say anything as Gwen climbed into the backseat.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p><em>I apologize if the chapter was kind of slow. I just wanted to get a lot of stuff out of the way so there wouldn't be too many questions later on. It should be more action-y later.<em>


	8. Requiem for a Newt

Chapter 8: Requiem for a Newt

_After this chapter, this story is going on hiatus. I have exams to study for, an out of country trip to pack for, and summer homework. Sorry for the inconvenience._

_In this chapter, you will meet the boy that was supposed to get along very well with Evan, like I hinted earlier. It might not show so much in this chapter, though. Hopefully you'll see it next chapter._

_Also, because the Slayers use Latin as their number one language, I'll be using Google Translate to make sure I have everything translated correctly. It should be about fifty percent accurate._

* * *

><p>When Carter got home from Evan's house, she heard Requiem for a Tower blasting at the highest possible volume somewhere in the house. When she got closer to her room, the noise became nearly deafening. <em>Of course<em> it came from her room. Thanks to that, Carter had trouble sensing who was trespassing in her bedroom. So instead of doing that, she just kicked the door down.

The stereo was instantly off, and the silence was deafening. Standing right in the middle of Carter's room was her fifteen-year-old cousin, Newton Valentine. He was wearing: jeans he had ripped up himself, a small chain on his right side (the kind where the clips were on either side of the chain and it could be clipped onto belt loops), a white long-sleeved shirt under a ripped up black shirt (again, he ripped it himself) with a realistic human skull graphic on the front, and beat up Van sneakers. He was of lean build with some muscle definition, and his skin was pale. His blond hair was light and messy, like a bed-head, and he had the Valentine woman trademarks: piercing gray eyes, a thin, oval face that ended in a sharp point at the chin, and an upside down triangle bang that completely covered the left side of his face. Newt was the only Valentine male who had it.

"Kitty!" he cried, wrapping his cousin up in a warm hug.

"Newt, it's so good to see you!" Carter said as she returned it. When he finally let go, she asked, "How long are you staying this time?"

"Straight to the point, as usual," Newt sighed. "Only two days, I'm afraid. My annoying family is on a three-day trip to make sure my brother's political future is secure."

"And you didn't go with them?" Carter asked, sitting on the couch. Newt sat next to her.

"Why the hell would I go to a seminar on how to empower my inner politician?" He gave Carter an annoyed glance. Carter raised an eyebrow; she seriously doubted there was a seminar like that, but she decided to let Newt vent.

"The only reason I got out of it was lying and telling them I had a huge project for school to work on."

"And I'm guessing you do have a project?"

"Well, yes, but I already turned it in." That earned Newt a laugh from his cousin. The only way Newt could have gotten from Washington, D.C. to Bellwood without his parents' knowledge was by using the underground Slayer train system, which was the fastest in the world-or it would be, if the Slayer community ever decided to reveal it. There was a giant community created by Slayers under the earth, sprawling to all corners of the world; it would have been easy for Newt to pack his things and buy a ticket to come here without his parents knowing.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Newt asked suddenly. Carter thought for a minute before answering.

"Well, we can call up Sam and Evan and we can go hang out."

"Sounds like a plan." Newt busied himself with Carter's movie collection while Carter called her friends over.

* * *

><p>Newt and Carter were watching <em>West Side Story <em>when the two of them finally decided to show up.

"Newt!" yelled Evan as he saw his best guy friend.

"Evan!" Newt yelled back as he jumped up from the couch. The two of them then ran at each other and tackled each other to the ground. Sam left them to wrestle on the floor and joined Carter on the couch. That was when Carter got a call from Ben. Her favorite ringtone, Numb by Linkin Park, rang out from her black purse. She turned down the movie and tried to ignore Newt and Evan, who were yelling at each other in a playful kind of way.

"What up, Tennyson?" Carter greeted him.

"Hey, Carter. You know that Grandpa Max said that the Pride and I have to get along, right?"

"Right…"

"Well, I thought it would be a good idea if we found some other Plumbers' kids together. Do you think you and the Pride could come?"

Carter blinked. "I don't see why not. But do you think you can include one other person?"

"Sure, I guess. Who is it?" Ben asked.

"My cousin; he just arrived today and I haven't seen him in a while, so…"

"Say no more. I'm sure it won't be a problem. Here's the location." Carter quickly memorized the next part and then said, "Awesome. We'll see you there." She hung up the phone and stood up.

"All right, you bastards," she said to her comrades, "we got a mission. We have to go to a location and find some Plumbers' kids." She began to pace through the room. Newt escaped out of Evan's headlock and the three teens stood side by side in the middle of the room.

"This mission could be vital to the overall plan of defeating the High Breeds. We can't screw this up. Who's with me?" Carter glared at the three of them indiscriminately and waited for an answer.

"I am!" all three said in unison. Carter grinned.

"Alright. Who's driving?"

* * *

><p>When James finally got near the rendezvous point, the Pride plus Newt had to stop because the highway was crumbling down. They saw a truck driver nearly comatose and cars falling off the highway. The teens immediately ran out of the car and went to help. Newt and Sam went to help the trucker, while Carter willed some ice out of her hands to create a slide of sorts so the people could slide down to safety. But before people could come down, a yellow car was falling off, about to crash into the ground. But before Carter or anybody else could do anything, pink mana flowed to the car and roughly slid it down safely to the ground below.<p>

Other cars were about to fall off, but in the center of the highway. That was when Ben turned into Humungousaur and tried to lift the highway up with his shoulders. Evan ran, jumped onto Humungousaur, and jumped again onto the highway. He then put his hands onto the ground and willed some earth to cement itself into the cracks, ensuring that it won't collapse in the next few minutes. When the people on the highway decided it was safe to come out, they used the ice slide to get down.

When Sam and Newt finally arrived to the unconscious trucker, Kevin (after absorbing the metal of the truck and using it as armor) was already tearing off the car door. There was a starter fire on the truck's cargo, so Sam put her hand on it before it could hit the oil inside. The flames were sucked into her body as ammo for later. She watched as Kevin dragged the trucker to safety.

That was when Newt saw an African American girl in a school uniform and an outdated afro stumble into the road, where all the traffic was. He took off running only to see some glowing _thing_ swoop in and save her.

Just about everyone of importance saw it too. When Carter was sure that there were no more people on the highway, she forced the slide to turn into water and, hands out in front of her with palms facing front, sucked all the water back into her body. Gwen called out, "Everyone's safe, Ben!" and Ben finally let go of the highway. Thanks to Evan, it didn't fall to the ground, except for a spare piece of debris or two. Humungousaur shrunk back to normal size before turning into Ben.

Meanwhile, Newt was with the girl and the glowing thing, which was actually a handsome blond boy wearing a smart outfit. "I-I have to get out of here," the poor girl was saying, but the boy held her close.

"Its okay, Trina, you're safe now," he was saying as everyone came running to them. "These guys saved you," he added as Ben, Gwen, Kevin, and the Pride finally showed up.

"Technically, it was your friend here who saved you. He's just being modest," Carter explained with a grateful smile. The boy left Trina on the sidewalk and came to thank the others, while Newt knelt down next to Trina and made sure she was really okay.

"Something strange has been happening to the girls at our school lately," the boy continued. Evan looked over at Trina and studied her for a minute.

"Newt, scan her memory. Try to find anything that could have made her weak enough to stumble into moving traffic," he ordered. Newt nodded and lifted a glowing hand to Trina's forehead.

"What is he doing?" Gwen asked the Pride.

"Exactly what Evan just said," Sam said.

"Nothing," Newt piped up after he was done. "Her memories of the past few days or so are a total blank."

"That's a problem," Ben commented unhelpfully. He turned to the boy who saved Trina and got a good look at him. That was when he noticed the Plumbers' badge he was using as a belt buckle. "You've got a Plumbers' badge!" he exclaimed happily.

"Yeah, my dad gave it to me. You guys know about the Plumbers?"

"At this point, we may as well be them." Kevin got out his Plumbers badge that he got from Magister Labrid. Evan, Carter, Sam, and Newt did the same, though Newt was still behind them with Trina so the boy couldn't see him.

"I'm Ben," he introduced, "and this is Kevin and my cousin Gwen." Ben pointed to the others. "Those are some other Plumbers' kids, Carter, Evan, Sam, and… Newt, right?" Newt nodded to confirm.

The boy looked confused as he pointed to Evan and Ben. "Aren't you two brothers?"

Evan gave a little sigh. "No, we're not. And it's not something I'd like to go into."

"Really," Gwen commented as she got a better look at Evan. True, he did look like her cousin, but he seemed smarter. She'd have to ask Ben about it later. Kevin, on the other hand, couldn't believe his bad luck; now he had two Bens to deal with!

"So, wait, you're Ben Tennyson?" the boy asked. He offered a hand. "I'm a huge fan of yours! But I heard you disappeared. I'm Michael Morningstar." Finally, the new hero had a name. He shook Kevin's hand as well, though Kevin looked pretty grim. The Pride stayed back, unsure of what to make of the new guy.

And then Michael shook Gwen's hand. Gold energy fizzled between their hands and only went out when the two of them separated. "Wow. That's never happened before," Michael said, smiling shyly at Gwen.

"Maybe it's because we both have powers?" Gwen offered.

"That's a theory," Michael agreed.

"And now that we've all met," Kevin intervened, looking a little annoyed.

Michael, taking the hint, said, "I should make sure Trina gets home okay." Newt finally got up from the ground and stood near Carter. Like her, he was slightly suspicious of the new guy; then again, Slayers tended to be suspicious over nothing. Still, it never hurt to be careful.

"But after that, we should meet up at my place," Michael continued.

"Sure," Ben agreed.

"Why not?" Evan shrugged.

"Can't wait," Sam said cautiously as she saw Gwen smile like a love struck teenage girl. Michael picked Trina up and they flew away, leaving a trail of yellow glow behind them.

No one noticed the strange star symbol on Trina's arm.

* * *

><p>"So, what, you guys are the Pride?" Kevin asked rather rudely.<p>

"So, what, you're a Plumber?" Sam shot back. Neither of them broke their glare for a good minute. Then they suddenly smiled at each other, indicating that there were no hard feelings. Only Gwen really noticed this part.

It was safe to say that Gwen was a little… jealous of Sam. For one thing, she was beautiful; her hair, under the street lamps, glittered with reds and yellows and oranges and looked _alive_, like a raging fire. Her eyes were the color of new pennies, and her lips were a bright red color, which should have looked wrong on those pouty lips, but she somehow made it worked. Sam was sexy, and she could pull it off too. Next to her, Gwen felt plain. Boring. Average.

_Please don't tell me _she's _the reason why Kevin rejected me._

"So, how did you two meet?" Evan asked, raising an eyebrow at Sam. She hadn't told her friends about meeting Kevin. Strange; Sam, Evan, and Carter usually told each other everything. Everyone crowded the two of them, anxious to hear.

"I found her robbing some guy who she claimed was a player," Kevin said with a wry smile. No one could if he was joking, though Sam wasn't denying it.

"So, what, you just rob people you don't like?" Gwen accused, acting a bit out of character. Sam rolled her eyes.

"At the rate this guy was going, he was most likely going to become sexually abusive to all of his future girlfriends."

"But you don't know for sure."

"Never hurts to be careful."

"How is that-"

"Gwen!" Ben warned, putting a stern hand on her shoulder. Gwen glared at him, but stopped her tirade. Carter studied Sam and Gwen for a moment from afar before realized what this was really all about. With an evil little smile, she whispered to Evan and Newt's ear about the love triangle surrounding Kevin.

"Five bucks says Sam gets him."

"Newt!"

"What? We already know Gwen has no chance," Newt protested. Evan nodded in agreement.

"That's true," Carter admitted, "but you don't have to bet money on it." They peered over at Gwen and the others, who were oblivious to their conversation.

"So you're saying it's justified to do that as long as it's a bad guy," Kevin was saying. Sam nodded, much to Gwen's chagrin. Ben couldn't decide whether to agree with that logic or not. Yes, he believed in justice, but mostly courtroom stuff, not street justice, like with Sam. And then he thought of something.

He turned to Carter and Evan and asked, "You guys believe in that too?"

"Pretty much," Evan answered for the both of them.

Ben sighed and shook his head. How was he supposed to get along with these people? Gwen was glaring at him. He made a _what? _gesture, which forced Gwen to grab his arm and steer him away from the rest of the group.

"Are you seriously going to work with them?" Gwen snapped at him once they were out of earshot. Ben winced at her harsh tone of voice.

"Grandpa Max said that we have to work together or the High Breeds win. Besides, he also said that they make great allies." Ben studied Gwen for a moment, making her feel uncomfortable.

"What?" she asked.

"They're view on 'justice' isn't just what's bothering you, is it?" Ben asked slowly, making Gwen even more uncomfortable.

Ben suddenly grinned with realization. "You're jealous of Sam!" Gwen's glowing face was all the answer he needed. "God, you're simple!" he laughed. Suddenly he turned serious. "Look, I don't know what you have against Sam and Kevin exactly, but you have to suck it up for the good of the team."

Gwen shot him another glare, but relented. "Fine," she said gruffly. She followed Ben to the rest of the group, who were having an animated conversation about rock music.

"Metallica is so mainstream now! And have you even heard their last album?" Newt was saying, waving his arms dramatically.

"You have to admit they still have some good songs," Carter said diplomatically.

"I still think Guns 'n Roses is better," Kevin shrugged.

"Everyone seems to be forgetting the awesomeness that is Attack Attack!" Evan yelled as Ben and Gwen joined the conversation.

"Finally, someone agrees with me about Attack Attack!" Ben high-fived a happy Evan. Sam had been watching the conversation with a rather mystified expression.

Gwen, taking Ben's advice, asked in her most civil voice, "Is there a problem?"

Sam turned to her. "Did Morningstar ever tell us where his house was?"

* * *

><p>Thankfully, Michael had returned and directed everyone to his home. Kevin drove Ben and Gwen there, while James-who had stuck around to because that was the drill he was used to-drove the Pride and Newt. Carter raised an eyebrow at the lavish mansion, but didn't say anything as Michael directed everyone into his secret lair.<p>

"Mom and her new husband live in the main house. They leave me alone, let me do what I want," Michael was saying, opening the fancy door. "After you," he said to the ladies, like a complete gentleman. Everyone quietly walked through, with Kevin bringing up the rear. Michael slammed the door in his face. He opened it again, grumbling and rubbing his sore nose.

Ben and Evan marveled at all the Plumber gear, which consisted of alien computers and scanners and the like. Carter and Newt were silently standing around, uncomfortable in these posh surroundings. Sure, they had grown up with a silver spoon in their mouths, but they had learned at an early age not to take anything for granted (Thanks, Cordelia!). Sam was near Kevin, both of whom were watching Michael with suspicion.

"Is this all Plumber gear?" Evan asked stupidly. What? He had never seen so much of it located in one place before.

Michael nodded. "I got it all from my dad's headquarters." He turned to Gwen. "I could take you there later if you want," he flirted softly, oozing out more of his gentleman suaveness.

"We'd all like to see it," Ben interjected, saving Gwen from answering.

"It'd make my day," Kevin mumbled, earning a concerned look from Ben. Evan and Newt, as usual, were too far in their own little worlds'.

"Here, let me show you something," Michael said, grabbing Gwen's hand and leading her away. As she passed Kevin, Gwen gave him a look that said, _Do you see what you're missing out on?_. Kevin obviously stilled cared for Gwen, so that look _hurt_. Sam touched his arm slightly, as a way of comfort. Kevin gave her a small smile as thanks.

Michael stopped in front of a giant screen that showed grids and a whole bunch of numbers. "I'm patched into the central Plumber monitoring network," he explained. "It's connected to everything: global and interplanetary internet, law enforcement frequencies, and the badge communicator channel."

"Communicator channel?" Kevin asked. He honestly didn't know there was one.

Well, yeah," Michael answered. "…You did know the badges are communicators, right?" Ben and Kevin looked at each other sheepishly. Not the Slayers, though. They never showed weakness on a subject, even if it was as something as simple as this.

"So, you watch everything with this stuff and use your powers to help people," Gwen stated. It sounded suspiciously like Slayer technology… Then again, Slayers were technically Plumbers. Nevertheless, Gwen was very impressed. "You're like your neighborhood's very own superhero!"

"Never thought of it that way," Michael said modestly.

"You know what I'm thinking?" Ben asked to anyone nearby.

"I think I do," Evan said, clasping Ben's shoulder. "Are you sure about adding him to the team?" he asked seriously, drawing in the attention of the Pride (and Newt).

"He's got the powers, he's got the gear; he's the perfect addition for our team." Michael grinned at that; Gwen was the only other person who did. Sam wasn't convinced on him being a good 'addition'.

"Don't you think we should get to know the guy first, you know, like with us?" She gestured to her friends and raised an eyebrow.

"We'll give him a test run," Ben said quickly, much to the annoyance of Kevin. Evan finally let go of Ben, though he wasn't content with the decision. Even with the threat of the High Breed invasion, this seemed a little rushed. Well, better to let Ben learn the hard way.

"My grandpa Max was a Plumber," Ben explained to Michael, "and he disappeared because of this big alien conspiracy that's going on against Earth. We're trying to find him so we can stop it. Would you like to help?" Michael's smile was all Ben needed.

_**Now why didn't Ben invite you guys like that? **_Aquaria asked in Carter's mind. It had been a while since the nurturing goddess had spoken to her vessel and, as usual, she was kind of annoying.

_**How rude!**_

_If I wanted your advice, I would have asked, _Carter hissed to her. _Now, do you mind? We have a mission to complete._

_**You've gotten so mean since you've become a teenager, **_Aquaria sniffed. Still, she put up the mental barrier, just like Carter asked.

That was when the lights in Michael's bat cave-so to speak- began to flicker on and off repeatedly for a full minute. "Forget to pay for your electric bill?" Kevin joked, though he wasn't feeling very humorous.

"The electricity's been a little undependable lately," Michael answered with a disarming smile. "No worries; my backup generator kicked in." And it certainly had. The lights were back on again.

"This is no brown out," Evan commented as he pointed at the giant screen. "Look at this spike in power usage at the local power station. The energy drain is enormous."

"Really?" Michael asked, unsure.

"You said something strange is happening in town," Ben continued. He wasn't used to sharing leadership with someone other than Gwen. He supposed it was something he would have to get used to. "This definitely qualifies."

"If you need to check it out, we'll help," Gwen offered eagerly, much to the disgust of Sam and Carter. What was the point of having good looks if you were just going to throw yourself at any pretty face that shows you interest? _Make the men come to you, Gwen, not the other way around!_ Carter and Sam thought. They had known each other for so long that thinking along the same lines was common for them.

Michael turned to Gwen, happy. "Thanks, we should." He led the team out of there, with Gwen falling behind slightly. She had felt her arm tingle, just a little bit. As soon as she looked, there was a strange purple star symbol on it. Gwen's eyes widened and she gave a little gasp. She immediately rolled down her sleeve to hide the mark. As she left to join the others, she concluded that she would have to tell Michael- err, Ben, she meant to think, as soon as possible.

* * *

><p>They were at the power station now, which was dark and empty, since it was past closing hours. They were walking cautiously along, searching for signs of anything out of the ordinary. Michael didn't seem to know that he should stay silent for this part.<p>

"So," he asked Newt, "what's your name short for? Newton?"

"Yeah," he answered curtly, hand on his left wrist. The cool metal of the bracelet comforted him slightly.

"Why? Was there already an Isaac?" Michael joked.

"Yeah, actually, there is."

There was an electric buzzing sound in the station, making the place seem even more ominous. "That buzzing sound sounds like something out of a bad horror movie," Carter joked.

"You should know," Sam said, "you're the horror movie expert."

"Anytime you hear a sound and your only reference is a horror movie, it's best to walk the other way," Kevin advised her.

"Good rule of thumb," Evan commented. "We'll be sure to use it next time."

"Ah, the witty banter before a fight," Ben said sardonically, earning him a smile from Valentine cousins.

And then they walked in on the most horrific scene: a zombie girl in a school uniform sucking energy from the power station. It was like something out of Mary Shelley's _Frankenstein._

The zombie girl noticed them and gave a loud grunt as she stopped absorbing power. Michael, being the ever chivalrous gentleman that he was, put himself in front of Gwen to protect her. Just as Ben was about to do the same for Carter-maybe win a few brownie points with her-, she suddenly stepped up into the line of fire, completely unarmed.

"Yo, zombie!" she jeered, forcing the girl creature to look at her. "I thought you were supposed to eat brains, not suck out perfectly good tax money!"

Sam willed her broadswords to appear; Evan, his twin guns, much to the surprise of Ben and Kevin. They couldn't ask how those weapons appeared, though. Carter had only just begun.

"What, you can't talk back? Oh, that's right; you're a zombie. A weak, useless slab of rotten meat that can't even think! You'd fit right in on MTV, you undead bitch!"

"Harsh," Gwen whispered. Michael had to agree.

"That girl is going to get herself killed one of these days," Newt admonished as he got out a pocket-sized blue spell book from his back pocket.

The zombie girl was pissed now. She sauntered over to one of the machines, ripped it out of the ground, and threw it at Carter. She dodged it with graceful ease. As she stopped, she willed her black scythe to appear.

How are you-" Ben began to ask, only to be cut off by Sam. "We'll explain later."

That was when more zombie girls appeared. One of them looked suspiciously like Trina. There were only four of them; they could probably take them.

"The girls here are kind of weird," Evan told Michael. "They're wearing uniforms from my school, but I don't recognize any of them," Michael said as he got a better look at them. Newt caught onto the lie; there was no way anyone could miss that afro.

The zombie that was once Trina ripped a metal rod out of the ground and began to advance. Michael stepped up and, out of his glowing hands, shot a laser of gold energy at the enemies. The laser erupted as it hit the ground, knocking the girls back and creating large volumes of smoke. "Energy volts; very nice!" Ben commented happily.

_**Be very careful, Evan, **_said the smooth, strong voice of Erda in Evan's head. As usual, he only came out to talk when something fishy was going on. Or when Evan needed girl advice. Either way, it had been a while since he had last heard him.

_I know. Energy bolts, the zombie girls are sucking up energy… It's all too perfect._

_**Make sure that Gwendolyn girl stays safe. **_The mental wall came up again, leaving Evan to deal with the problem himself. If the situation wasn't so dire, Evan would have laughed at Erda's chivalry.

"Try not to hurt them!" Michael ordered. "Maybe we can reverse… whatever it is!" This was pretty hard to do, since the zombie girls were now running at them, screaming and wielding dangerous objects aimed at their vital organs.

"Try not to hurt _them_?" Kevin complained as Trina tried to hit him with the metal rod.

"Kevin!" Sam cried. She sliced Trina in the back with her broadswords, forcing the girl to cry out in pain. Then she turned her scary gaze on Sam.

Michael, true to his word, did his best not to hurt them. In fact, he floated up away from the carnage, leaving Ben and his team to deal with the problem.

Newt flipped the pages of his book and found the perfect spell for this situation. "Round them up in one place!" he ordered the others.

"Fine by me!" Carter said as she playfully annoyed the girl she had pissed off earlier. She wasn't using the blade of her scythe for now; she would just use the butt of the staff and hit the girl's vital points and force her to slow down. Every time the girl would advance, Carter hit a pressure point, which forced the girl to back away to the center of the power plant.

Evan noticed what she was doing and did the same, only he had forced his weapons back into their charm form. He didn't need them right now. With his fingers, Evan stabbed the zombie at her pressure points and forced her back to the center.

Gwen was helping Ben get one of them off of him. The zombie girl had the poor boy in a choke hold, and Gwen was trying to use her powers to get her off. But it was harder than usual. Why did she feel so weak?

Ben fixed the problem. Since he was in a place full of energy, it only made sense that he used an alien that could absorb and redirect energy. That was why he chose Chromastone; a creature made out of purple, energy absorbing crystal with a single green eye in the middle of his face.

As the girl who had been attacking him tried to shock him with electricity, Chromastone merely absorbed it. "That's not going to work," he said. "I'm a conductor!" He touched the girl's arm and redirected the energy back into her, forcing her to scream out in pain and throw herself back into the middle of the power plant, where the other two girls were.

That left Trina. Kevin was able to absorb some steel from the machines and coated himself in its shell. Sam didn't have that, though. She wasn't worried. Trina had thrown the rod into one of the machines and tried to stab Sam with a live electrical cord.

Sam knew that lightning was similar to fire; both were raw forms of energy, after all. It was a bit tricky, but Sam could control the lightning for a bit. She just couldn't absorb it back into her own body, like with fire. Lightning was far too dangerous to do that.

With her legs standing far apart from each other in a perfect stance, Sam jabbed her hand into the wire and felt the electricity rocket through her body. She felt its searing power travel close-_too_ close- to her heart as it left out of her other hand. Her hand had been directly pointing at zombie Trina, so the energy hit her directly and forced her back into Kevin's steel grip.

Gwen had tried to use her powers to keep the remaining girls from escaping, but the one time she tried to use an energy lock and bind them together, her mana turned black and crumbled into nothing. Michael swooped down just in time to stop her from falling onto the ground.

After Kevin delivered Trina to Newt, he tried the spell that would stop these girls, at least for a while. One hand was out in front of him, aimed at the girls; the other held a small blue magic book turned at exactly the right page. Newt's pupils grew thinner and smaller, making his gray eyes look like dragon's eyes. His teeth, every last one of them, sharpened to a needle point, so it looked like a wild animal's jaw had replaced his human one. Newt's body began to glow a sweet honey gold color, unlike Michael's pure fourteen-karat.

"_Ea ne aliis nocere!" _Newt shouted. It was Latin for _bind them so as not to harm others. _Energy flowed out of his hand and out towards the girls, enveloping them in a cocoon. The girls hovered in midair, completely frozen in time, in mid-snarl and shriek.

Not knowing when he'd get the chance later, Newt quickly touched the foreheads of all the girls, hoping for the same scrap of memory he had found when he scanned Trina's memory. As Newt's features returned to normal, he saw it: a fuzzy picture of a sneering Michael.

It was so obvious. Michael was behind everything all along. But how was Newt supposed to tell Gwen that?

* * *

><p>Ben 10: The Slayer Chronicles <em>is officially on hiatus. Story will resume in late summer.<em>


	9. The Gilded Boy

Chapter 9: The Gilded Boy

_I _did _say late summer._

_I'M BACK, BABY! I would have updated a tad bit sooner, but I got caught up with writing future chapters and watching Rurouni Kenshin, Xiaolin Showdown, Yu-Gi-Oh! Abridged, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Abridged, everything by TeamFourStar, etc._

_But before I get rolling here, a quick shout out to MasterSpecter, who not only followed __and__ favorited this story, but put me on his favorite authors list/alert. As a thank you for the loyalty, this chapter's for you!_

* * *

><p>Evan caught Newt when he fainted.<p>

Well, of course he fainted! Newt just stopped time, for crying out loud! Stopping time for the entire planet was hard enough, but stopping it in just one area for a small amount of people? Forget about it!

Sam wasn't doing too well either. Using the lightning had actually spooked her a little, especially when it was so close to destroying her heart. She was breathing heavily as she clamped a hand over her heart.

Kevin noticed. "You okay?" Sam nodded. She would be okay. She always was.

Ben had turned back into his human form and was helping Carter hoist Newt onto Evan's back. "Are you always so vocal when it comes to taunting your enemies?" the young hero asked the Slayer.

"It's called trash talk," Carter corrected, "And yes, I am. It's easier to fight them when all they're thinking about is how to kill you."

By that time Kevin and Sam had caught up to them. Michael was holding Gwen's hand, making sure she was okay. When they finally walked over to the rest, they were still holding hands.

Kevin was not happy about that.

"What do we do now?" Michael asked. That was a fairly good question, actually. One of them was unconscious, another had her powers drastically weakened, and the baddies were stuck frozen in time.

"Knowing the spell Newt used, we won't be able to move them." Sam gestured to the zombie girls. "We have an hour, maybe two tops before they start moving again."

"Which means we have enough time to send him-" Evan nodded his head towards sleeping Newt-"home. You got your card, Carter?"

"I would gladly use it, but _someone_ still has it." Carter glared at Sam, who held up her hands in surrender.

"I forgot to bring it with me. We can just set him Kevin's car, right?" She looked at him.

"As long as he doesn't drool on the seats," Kevin said gruffly. "And what card?"

"Anyway," Carter interrupted. It was time for a conversation changer. "What happened just now? Your powers kind of… collapsed on you." Carter looked at Gwen with genuine concern.

"I-I don't know," Gwen admitted. "I just felt really weak all of a sudden."

"I think what happened to the zombies over there is happening to you too," Evan said. Everyone looked at him in surprise. He stared back. "What?"

"Explanation, now," Sam demanded.

"I think I get it," Kevin said. Now everyone was looking at him. "These girls were draining energy from the power plant because they have none of their own. Maybe the same thing is happening with Gwen."

"My power is not being drained!" Gwen protested, though it was futile. There was too much evidence against her.

"I think what you need is some time to rest," Michael told her soothingly. "How about dinner, to get your energy back up?"

Gwen smiled. "That'd be nice, actually. Especially if it means I get to thank you for always helping me."

_Oh, gag me, _Sam thought as she saw the two lovebirds flirt with each other. Sam did not do sappy romances; it just didn't happen that way in real life. That was why romance films made her want to vomit on the nearest couple. And seeing it right here in real life made it even worse.

Kevin wasn't too happy, but for different reasons. He still had lingering feelings for Gwen and, even though it was a small crush, it still hurt to see Gwen agreeing to dinner with another guy right in front of him. But Kevin had made himself pretty clear when he said he was interested in someone else and that Gwen should go out with whoever she wanted.

Then again, something about Michael was off to him. Kevin just couldn't place it.

* * *

><p>"Why the hell are we breaking into Morningstar's house?" Sam asked Kevin as he tried to unlock the massive front door.<p>

After Gwen had walked off arm-in-arm with Michael for their dinner date, Kevin had driven the others to Michael's house for some more reconnaissance. Mainly, for any dirt on good-guy Michael.

Ben, being the perpetual trusting good guy that he was, was against it. "This is totally wrong!" he was saying as Kevin used his Osmosian powers to break into the mansion. "This is something the old Kevin would do! What would Gwen say if she saw you right now?"

"Gwen isn't here right now," Kevin answered gruffly. "Michael ain't right, Ben. There's somethin' off about him, and I intend to prove it."

"I have to agree," Evan said, suddenly causing them to turn and look at him. "I saw how Newt tried to read those girls' minds while they were suspended like that. And from the look on his face, I bet he found out something really bad."

"And don't forget the fact that he looks like a rich snob," Carter pointed out. "Guys like him always have some sort of hidden agenda."

"What, you dated guys like him?" Kevin joked, though it fell kind of flat.

"Sam did," Carter said, forcing Kevin to stop what he was doing and look at the redhead.

"What?" she hissed at him.

"Nothing," he said, going back to work. Kevin should have figured that Sam had dated before he met her. Hell, he wasn't so innocent either, having one-night stands and rarely having a steady relationship once he was out of prison. But Sam with guys like _Morningstar_? That was hard for Kevin to wrap his mind around.

The door unlocked. "We're in!" Kevin said happily as the door swung open. He turned to a frustrated Ben. "And they said I didn't learn anything in the Null Void."

"We can still get out of this," Ben pleaded. "Just walk away now."

"Forget it, Tennyson," Evan told him blithely. "It's four to one- maybe five to one if Newt was conscious. Either way, we're snooping." And with that, Evan jammed him hands into his pockets and began to stroll into the mansion. Ben grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

"This is wrong and you know it!" he yelled at him.

Evan turned to him, anger blazing in his eyes. "Is this is how you're going to build a team? By fighting over the damn new guy? You're supposed to be a leader, so act like one!"

Now Ben was furious. "I _am_ trying to be a leader! I'm trying to stop you guys from turning into criminals!"

"Too late," Carter mumbled. Ben turned his head away from Evan long enough to glare at her. She spread her arms out and gave an innocent, "What?"

"A leader is supposed to do what's best for the team and to let them have their say!" Ben turned his attention back to Evan. "And the team says-"

"Is Mike home?" a female voice cut in, interrupting Evan's well-intentioned tirade. It was Trina, the girl Michael had saved from being road kill earlier. "He hasn't called me since you and that new girl showed up," she continued, sounding shaky.

"Morningstar isn't here at the moment," Evan said politely. "Can you leave a message? We can give it to him next time we see him."

"What are you, his secretary?" Sam whispered, giggling. Evan didn't bother to comment on that.

Trina stepped forward, trying to look past the people in front of her into the dark home. "Are you sure he's not here? I can check for you." She was climbing the stairs, trying to get past Kevin and Ben to get into the house. There was something so desperate about her manner, so pitiful in her need to just see Michael that Ben was almost willing to let her go. Almost.

"We really don't know where he is! He's busy." Ben grabbed Trina's arm to stop her from going into the mansion.

"I need to see him," Trina insisted, looking hopefully at Evan and the girls. They looked at each other and nodded once. The girl needed to take a little nap.

That was when Sam noticed the marks on Trina's arm. "Where did you get those?" she asked, pointing to the purple star thing on her arm. Trina just shrugged her shoulders.

Kevin forced the heroes to huddle. "I saw those same marks on the girl who tried to tenderize me."

"I just want to see Mike!"

"We're getting that!" Kevin said meanly to Trina. He turned back to the group. "Call me crazy, but is Morningstar the one making these girls act this way?"

"You're crazy!" Ben told him, making the Slayers roll their eyes at his childish behavior.

That was when Trina suddenly came up to them, wondering what they were talking about. They were forced to move over a bit to avoid detection.

Sam was clotting onto Kevin's way of thinking. "I think Kevin's right. I saw that Gwen had her sleeves unusually low. I didn't peg it with the girls since I've never seen her before today, but she could be hiding something."

Ben looked at Trina, who had more than one of those marks on her arm. It was beginning to dawn on him that maybe, _just maybe_, he was wrong about Michael.

Ben was going to ask if anyone saw those marks on his cousin when Trina collapsed. Newt was hovering over her, looking ashen but very conscious, with a hand outstretched. "She was trying to get into the house," he said, gesturing towards the open door.

"Vulcan nerve pinch?" Carter asked. Newt gave the Vulcan hand salute in response.

Then Newt noticed two people missing from the group. "Where's Morningstar and Gwen?" he asked, alarmed.

"At dinner or something; why?" Evan asked suspiciously.

"Michael's the one behind everything!"

* * *

><p>Newt filled them in on what he saw in those girls' minds while in Kevin's car.<p>

"You couldn't find anything besides a scrap of memory?" Ben asked, looking crestfallen. Just when they had found a way to help Gwen…

"Morningstar did a good job making his victims forget," Newt said grimly. "I was lucky to get even that."

"Now that I think about it, it all fits kind of perfectly," Sam said. "The energy volts-"

"The sparkly trail when he flies," Kevin interrupted unhelpfully.

"The energy drains," Sam continued, "everything points to Morningstar. It was all so obvious!"

_Obviously, _Evan thought to himself. He could have told everyone this before, but where was the fun in that? It was amusing to see the others cottoning on to the problem by themselves instead of them needing a mentor. And they did figure it out eventually, except Ben refused to admit it. Ben was the leader now, and even though Evan could take over the position, it just wouldn't be right. No one would willingly follow a Slayer anyway, not even if he was right about something. Evan just had to watch and see Ben take action on his own, with the occasional well-intentioned rant or two.

Ben was still hoping that they were wrong about all of this, that he hadn't made a foolish mistake and accidentally put Gwen in danger. He could still talk the others out of all of this while they were looking for Gwen. There was no way Ben was going to admit he was wrong, not now.

* * *

><p>"I'm really glad we met, Gwen," Michael was saying in the dam. It was just after dinner and Gwen was feeling great. She didn't know why they were at a water dam, but that wasn't important.<p>

"I'm glad we met too," Gwen said sweetly. For some reason, she was now feeling that something was wrong about this date, but that was probably just nerves. No need to spoil the moment.

"I knew there was something special about you the first time we met," Michael said as he walked up to Gwen. They were standing on some sort of platform, close to the machinery in the plant but far enough away to be safe from them.

"I felt it too," Gwen said, feeling absolutely giddy. Sure, the feeling of wrongness was still there, but that didn't matter. Michael looked into her eyes softly, like Gwen was the most precious thing in the world.

"And now, all those other girls mean nothing to me." Gwen wanted to know what he meant by that, but Michael was grabbing her arms and leaning in.

Then she felt the energy drain again.

"Your energy is like nothing I ever felt before," Michael was saying, his voice no longer soft and gentle. Gwen realized too late that she should have listened to that gut feeling that something bad was going to happen.

"When I feed on your energy, I feel _invincible_. When I held your hand before, I knew you were the only girl I would ever need." Michael was smirking now, and Gwen wanted to get away, but she was just too weak. She was literally trapped in the arms of a power-hungry madman, and there was nothing she could do.

* * *

><p>Ben was still arguing his case as the car drove onto the highway, since he had too much stupid pride to admit he was wrong.<p>

"Fact is you guys have been against Morningstar ever since we met him!" Ben was yelling in the passenger seat. Kevin was driving- of course- and the Slayers were cramped in the backseats.

"True, but at first it was just being suspicious of the new guy," Evan said defensively.

"That and he's an arrogant, bragging rich kid," Kevin said angrily. There was no need to tell Kevin that most of the people he was driving were arrogant rich kids. Not that they bragged about it.

"And now Gwen's in trouble and you're too stuck on your grandfather's instructions to see it!" Now Carter was arguing her case too. Ben was kind of hoping she'd take his side.

"Then if Mike's the one turning those girls into zombies, then why isn't Trina one?" Ben asked her angrily.

"How the bloody hell should I know?" Carter had not adopted a British accent since that would have been inappropriate for this situation.

"Maybe it's a vampire thing," Sam reasoned. "Maybe it takes a while before they go all zombie."

"That makes sense," Newt said. "There are plenty of legends of vampires taking energy instead of blood. Of course, taking blood would have been much eviler-"

"Not the time, Newt." Carter swatted at her cousin. Her cousin shut up for the moment.

"Are you people listening to yourselves?" Of course Ben was still defending his case. "Mike's been helping us ever since we got here. He fought those zombies with us, remember?"

"_I_ remember him flying away while he left us to deal with his mess," Sam said bitterly.

"He _did_ tell us not to hurt them," Evan said casually. That irked Ben.

"Even if you guys are right, we don't know where they went for dinner. We don't even know how to find her." This did not mean that Ben wasn't still defending his judgment; he was just tired of the arguing.

Kevin held up his Plumbers badge. "Easy. We find him."

* * *

><p>They were parked at the dam minutes later. Evan pointed to the road to the right of them. "This road leads to the highway," he said. "Trina was probably trying to get away from Morningstar."<p>

"Can we just check on Gwen?" Without even waiting for an answer, Ben walked into the power plant. Certain of their victory, the others followed.

The scene they walked in on was gruesome.

Gwen was a gray, wrinkly shell of her former self, and she was in the arms of Michael Morningstar. Except that he had a strange gold armor covering him skin, and his fourteen-karat aura was venomous.

"GWEN!" Sam, Ben, and Kevin cried out, both with genuine fear and concern over the poor girl.

When Mike saw the crowd in front of him, he gently put Gwen down and zapped a bolt of energy at Ben. He, along with Evan, was knocked down. Sam, who had been too far away to get hit, yelled, "Get your hands off her, you creep!" and shot a huge blast of pure fire at the freak in front of her. Michael absorbed the fire and grinned.

"I thank you for the delicious energy, though it was too wild for my tastes." Sam made a hissing noise.

That was when Carter remembered they were at a hydroelectric dam. She stretched out her arms and her gray eyes glowed blue. Water crashed in from the open door and nearly flooded the place, but Carter had it all under control. She willed the large amount of water to swirl around her like a protective ring. Then she shot some of it at Michael, enveloping him in a giant orb of water.

"Whoa," Carter could hear Ben and Kevin gasp behind her. But she had no time to bask in their awe; Michael was looking oddly calm in his watery prison.

That was when Michael exploded. Or rather, he evaporated the water around him in one huge blast. The blast was strong enough to knock Carter off her feet and lose control of the water ring surrounding her. The water fell in huge puddles on the floor.

Kevin and Ben decided to take action. Kevin knelt down to absorb the metal in the floor, while Ben turned into Jetray. Michael was too busy trying to hit the flying alien with large energy volts to notice Kevin trying to physically hurt him with punches. Not that it worked, though.

"GO AWAY!" Michael screamed, emanating energy from his entire body. It was strong enough to send both Kevin and Jetray flying back, forcing Jetray to turn back into Ben. He was now too weak to fight. Kevin wasn't doing so well either. His armor had been ripped off, revealing his weak human body. He was also unconscious. Sam was near him, cursing her incompetence to help. Of course, it wasn't her fault that Michael could absorb her firepower. That didn't mean Sam wanted to stay on the sidelines.

On the plus side, Evan and Newt were still in the running. While Michael was droning on about how Gwen was his now, Evan had built up a small rock shield to temporarily protect him and Newt while Newt flipped his book to that one spell. "_Alligaverit malefici industria! (Bind the maleficent energy!)" _He yelled. A giant, luminescent green box was surrounding Michael, locking him in one place.

Michael smiled when the energy spell cracked and exploded.

"That was one of the strongest defense spells I know!" Newt cried as he fell to the ground.

Now it was up to Evan and Carter, who had hiding out in the shadows, dodging Michael's attacks. There was water surrounding Carter, turning into sharp pointy icicles aimed straight at Michael's vital organs. Evan punched at the rock shield he created in repeated succession, projecting rocks at Michael at incredibly fast speeds. Michael just shot them to dust, which did not help the good guys' chances.

Carter was about to attack when Gwen stood up.

Oblivious, Michael said, "Why use your powers to help people when you can get whatever you want?" In came a dozen girls from the sides who Michael had fed on earlier, including Trina. All of them were zombies.

"All I ever wanted was power," Michael was saying. "And then you brought me Gwen. I guess I should thank you." But before he could do any more damage, Gwen grabbed both of his hands. A golden aura surrounded them both, and Michael's golden skin was beginning to crack and peel off. "What are you doing?" he cried at her.

Gwen, who was rapidly getting her youth back, simply answered, "I'm coming to my senses."

"Stop this!" Michael cried again as more energy flowed out of him and into Gwen. And then he fell back like he had been shot, while Gwen was still standing.

"Guys!" she cried, turning her back on the weakened enemy and using her powers to get down from the platform. Kevin and Ben were waking up, and Evan had let his dirt shield crumble. Newt was okay, though tired. Sam was near the boys, checking their vitals. Carter still had her icicles at the ready, just in case.

She saw Michael get up and give them an ugly sneer, which was now truly ugly, thanks to the gray skin and pale hair. "Girls!" he called out to his zombie pets. "Come-here to me!" He was having trouble talking thanks to his weakened state. The girls shambled over to their master.

"Give me your power! Help me!" But the girls had no intention of helping him. With hisses that soon became screams, they tore at Michael, scratching his skin as he screamed in terror. A flash of bright light, and the girls flew backward, their teenage appearances back where they belonged. They soon stood up and looked pitifully on the guy who drained them of their youth.

Kevin was walking up to Morningstar, determination written all over his face. Ben looked at Gwen with concern, but she just looked away. They didn't notice the Slayers joining Kevin on the platform.

"We can always kill him," Sam said matter-of-factly. Kevin was startled at her calm tone. Then he remembered that she was one of the Pride; she did stuff like this for a living.

Evan noticed the look on Kevin's face and thought for a moment. He had to get on Ben's good side; that meant no killing any baddies while he was around. Evan looked at the pitiful man that was Michael and said out loud, "Yeah, but he wouldn't suffer if we killed him. Let's just leave him."

"Hold on," Kevin said. He grabbed the Plumbers badge off of Michael and absorbed the metal. "You don't deserve this," he said grimly as he destroyed the badge in his hand. Then they left him there, a puddle of misery.

Speaking of puddles…

* * *

><p>After making sure the girls had a ride home and cleaning up the mess inside the dam, Ben said, "I'm an idiot."<p>

"You just realized that?" Evan joked.

"I'm an idiot for taking Morningstar sides over yours. I messed up, big time." It sounded like Ben wanted to apologize. Not that he would, thanks to his stupid pride.

Carter put a hand on his shoulder. "We all make mistakes." Ben smiled over the fact that Carter wasn't mad at him. Not because she was touching him. That would be weird.

"It wasn't entirely your fault," Gwen admitted, forcing Ben out his happy fog. "It was like he had some sort of control over me."

"What's more important is that we're all safe now," Evan said as he looked at Ben. "And that Ben actually learned something today." Everyone turned to look at Ben, who was glaring daggers at his friend.

"If I'm going to be a leader, I need to show better judgment." Ben was blushing madly as he said this.

"_If_ you're going to be a good leader, you need to stop sounding like such a jerk," Kevin said.

"I do not sound like a jerk!" Ben protested.

"You kind of do," Sam mumbled. Ben turned to Carter, who just shrugged her shoulders. Well, that was just great for Ben, who wanted to impress her with his awesome leadership skills. Now she probably thought he was an idiot.

"Well, it's getting late," Newt said, interrupting the argument before it escalated. "Do we have a ride?" he said to his cousin.

"No, we have to improvise," Carter said. James had left for the evening after dropping the Slayers off at the power plant. That meant the others had to fly back home with their mismatched wings, which really took a lot out of them. Why else would they use a chauffeur?

"You guys want a ride?" Kevin asked, looking somewhat hopefully at Sam. Sam took one look at Gwen and decided that it would be too damn awkward.

"No, it's cool. We can just fly."

"Wait, what?" But it was too late; the four Slayers were running away already.

"What are they-" Gwen began before she saw the wings coming out of their backs. She didn't get a good look at them. There was a sound like a sonic boom, only on a much smaller scale, and a large gust of wind forced the three heroes to close their eyes. When they opened them, the Slayers were gone.

Ben walked up to the place where they lifted off and saw feathers scattered haphazardly all over the place. He picked some of them up and saw that they were only four colors in all: solid honey gold, a pure brick red, forest green with soft brown spots all over it, and ink black with blue at the tip.

"That was weird," Kevin said behind Ben. Ben jumped a little, too busy with the feathers to give notice to his surroundings. Gwen was looking at the night sky, searching for the Pride, but they were long gone. But Ben was more startled than the rest of them, because he was thinking about something that had never once occurred to him before.

Could Ben fly without using the Omnitrix?

* * *

><p><em>I just love cliff hangers, don't you?<em>

_...If you couldn't tell that was sarcasm, I feel sorry for you._


	10. The Danny Phantom Fanatics

Chapter 10: The Danny Phantom Fanatics

_Since I got some anonymous reviews that I want to answer back to, I'll do it here and now._

_To __**bronycuddlykitte**__: I'm so glad you enjoy this story! I can understand why you would dislike the new Ben 10. They should have first showed Ben as he was back when he was 10, especially the part where you didn't know if he was saving people for the thrill of being a hero or because it was right, and not as some super serious leader. It was one of the things that really irked me when the new series came out. I try to keep that in mind when I'm writing Ben's character._

_To __**michele: **__I'm trying to keep to a schedule, but it'll still be a while between updates. As for your question: Ben has the Omnitrix,and if people find out that he has alien powers without it, Azmuth might take it away (at least, the Slayers think so), and that would be bad because Ben is the only person ever to use the Omnitrix for good. Also, the Omnitrix is an extremely powerful device, which makes using said powers very difficult. Ben will use it eventually, but with the future chapters being what they are, that might not be for a while. Sorry 'bout that._

* * *

><p>Evan and Newt should not have been fighting with light sabers in mid-air.<p>

They did it anyway.

After leaving Ben's team at the hydroelectric dam, the four teens flew back to Evan's place to hang out. Newt was Evan's best guy friend, and since the blonde was leaving soon, the timing seemed perfect to try out one of Michelangelo's newest inventions: rocket-powered combat boots.

The Force lab was an extension of the Force mansion with a domed skylight to remind the scientists inside that the outside world existed. The lab was a pristine white, with white counters and desks and scientists in their crisp white lab coats. Inventions were scattered all over the place: laser hand gliders, razor sharp aerodynamically perfect Frisbees, and the newest way to play video games by being your own avatar. The last one was still a work in progress, but thanks to the brilliant minds working on it, it would eventually be ready for the market.

The teens were bored, so they had decided to be willing test subjects for some experiments. Evan had coincidentally brought his old toy light sabers and a video camera. When they saw the combat boots, they all knew what would happen next.

Sam turned on the camcorder as Newt and Evan jammed their feet into the boots. Carter handed over their light sabers and, even though the scientists said it was a bad idea, they commenced with the fight once they were in midair.

Evan swung his green light saber at his friend's head. Newt dodged and counterattacked with his own red saber. They created their own sound effects because they were awesome like that. Carter smiled and shook her head at their silliness, while Sam just recorded the entire thing.

Evan had been friends with Carter and Sam ever since they were diapers. Their families were unimaginably close due to their statuses, so it didn't come as a surprise when their kids became best friends. Evan had met Newt through Carter and had easily become best guy friends due to their similar interests in Star Trek, Star Wars, and tastes in music, anime and cartoons. It was a shame that Newt lived on the other side of the country; sure, Carter and Sam were great friends, but sometimes Evan needed some guy time. Fortunately, there was Ben now and possibly Kevin for that. Not that they could _ever_ replace Newt.

After five minutes of playfully flying and hitting each other with plastic toys, the two boys concluded that the rocket-powered combat boots were perfectly functional, at least for immature teenage boys. They had no trouble floating down back on solid ground and shutting off the inventions. Sam shut off the camcorder and smiled.

"This is never going on YouTube."

"We can always say that it's fake," Newt pointed out. "With your camera skills, we could pull it off." Sam raised an eyebrow and smirked when Newt's shoe magically caught on fire. He shrieked as he hopped on one foot and Carter doused the flames with water. After Newt had calmed down, the three teens turned to glare at Sam, who smiled and batted her eyelashes innocently.

The scientists had all been briefed about the Force family and there, ah, _irregularities_. That was why no one really commented on Newt's magical flaming foot or the water that shot out of Carter's hand.

Newt knew that there was no use getting all worked up over Sam's wild temper, so he just said, "Let's go do something else." As they left the lab, they pitched ideas back and forth on what to do next.

The decision was unanimous.

* * *

><p>"<em>Yo, Danny Fenton, he was just fourteenWhen his parents built a very strange machine," _Newt rapped as Evan beat-boxed the tune. They were in Evan's bedroom, which had posters of rock and metal bands on the white walls, a bed with a Star Wars comforter draped over it, the latest computer on his old desk, a closet, a dresser that looked like a giant Rubik's cube, and a plasma screen TV, where an old episode of _Danny Phantom _was playing. Newt was rapping along with the opening theme.

"_Designed to view a world unseen/ (he's gonna catch them all 'cause he's Danny Phantom.)" _Every time Evan heard that last part, he always thought of _Pokémon _for some reason.

Evan loved watching these old cartoons. No one was too old to watch them, no matter what the idiots in society said. They could go back to watching Jersey Shore and their crappy MTV "reality" shows. Just because they didn't have a decent childhood to relive didn't mean they could bag on Evan's.

Then again, Evan's childhood wasn't always the best. Since he was the heir to a technological fortune, he had to be tutored in all subjects concerning business and machines. Cartoons, science fiction, and the occasional _Bleach _episode were escapes from the torture. At least he liked science and math in general or Evan would have done a Sam and re-created the _Texas_ _Chainsaw Massacre_, only with a lot less cannibalism and a lot more murder.

At least Evan's dad was pretty lenient when it really came down to it. Otherwise his son would have missed out on a lot of things, like Sumo Slammer video games, killing criminals, and skydiving. As long as Evan brought home all A's all the time, he could do whatever the hell he wanted.

Including beat-boxing.

"_He's here to fight for me and you!"_

* * *

><p>Ben was lying on his bed, the black feather in between his fingers. He had kept the feathers he had picked up at the hydroelectric dam. The feather was incredibly soft and tickled his fingers. The others were on his desk, but he had picked the black feather out of all of them. Ben could feel wave after wave of nostalgia rolling through him, but he had no idea why it was so familiar.<p>

Ben closed his eyes, and the vision began.

_Ten year old Ben was in the middle of town, just outside Mr. Daniels band studio. He had his guitar strapped to his back and his drumsticks were in his back pocket. He tapped the sidewalk with his foot in an impatient manner. Where was his mother? She should have been here ten minutes ago. Sandra was actually stuck in traffic, but Ben wouldn't know that until later._

_The monster attacked in the town square. Screams could be heard to Ben's right and, abandoning his guitar inside the studio, he ran towards the screams, hand on his Omnitrix._

_The monster was actually a robot, slim and shiny-looking and humanoid. What creeped Ben out the most was that it didn't have any eyes, just a smooth, blank face, like Slenderman. It surveyed the crowd, who were taking pictures of the creature instead of running away, like they were supposed to._

_The robot, which somehow had a mouth, opened it and screamed a horrible wail that shattered the glass of all the surrounding buildings. People started running away then, leaving a ten year old boy to deal with the creature. "You need to calm down!" Ben yelled, slamming down the dial on Four Arms. He got Diamondhead instead. "This thing really stinks sometimes," he complained as he shot rock-hard diamonds at the robot._

_The alien robot dodged the attacks easily and turned its empty gaze on Diamondhead. He ran towards the robot and shot even more diamonds at it, but the robot shot a laser out of its hand and destroyed them all. Before Ben could retaliate, he saw a flash of black fly towards the robot._

_It was a girl around Ben's age, and she had a Grim Reaper-like scythe in her hands. She sliced once at the robot, and its arm fell off. Wires fell out of the stump, but the robot was unfazed by the amputation. It began to scream again, and the girl sliced its head off. Ben couldn't believe how merciless this ten year old was. It was like she had been trained to kill without hesitation. It was so wrong, yet kind of cool._

_The headless robot staid standing for a second before it began to glow red. "You! Diamondhead!" the girl yelled at Ben. Ben pointed at himself in a 'who, me?' gesture, and the girl ran towards him. "Create a shield around us, you idiot!" she was screaming at him. Ben looked at the robot and immediately understood. Just as the girl was next to him, he created a giant shield of diamond surrounding them just as the robot exploded._

_The explosion wasn't very big. Ben could see that it only left a small crater in the middle of the road that didn't even touch the buildings. Ben looked back at the girl next to him. The scythe was gone and she was staring back at him. Her black hair was covering the left side of her face so only one brilliant gray eye was looking at him. She was wearing: a long-sleeved black shirt paired with a black t-shirt with a large white cross graphic on the front. The cross was a simple design, without the dead Messiah on it. She was wearing black jeans and combat boots._

"_Who _are _you?" Ben asked in Diamondhead's voice._

"_That depends on who _you_ are," the pretty girl said curtly._

_This wasn't going to be easy. "Well, I'm ten year old kid," Ben started, only to be cut off by a snort from the girl. _

_"Yeah, and I'm Zeus," she said with a smirk on her face._

"_Are you going to let me talk?"_

"_I seriously doubt it."_

_Five minutes must have passed by then, because the Omnitrix began to beep and glow red. In a matter of seconds, Diamondhead had turned back into Ben. The girl stared at him for a minute before closing her eyes and holding a finger to her temple, like she was trying to stop her brain from short-circuiting._

"_There are so many things I want to ask you right now, but let's start with something basic: who are you?" the girl asked when she opened her eyes. _

_"I'm Ben Tennyson," Ben answered slowly so as not to get tongue-tied around her. She was really pretty, even prettier than Kai… Ben glowered at that._

"You're _Ben Tennyson?" the girl asked incredulously. "I heard a kid had the Omnitrix, but I never thought it was true." _

_"I get that a lot," Ben mumbled. _

_"I'm Carter Valentine," the girl said finally, smiling for the first time. Her face instantly lit up, and she no longer looked cold and mean. But then she frowned like she remembered something bad. "I have to go."_

"_Wait, what?" Ben reached out to grab her arm, but she was too quick. She ran past the shield and jumped. Black wings sprouted from her back, but they were weird: one was a black demon wing with its edges outlined in blue, while the other was a black angel wing, with the tip of its feathers dipped blue as well. With a flap of her weird wings and a gust of wind, she flew up into the sky, leaving Ben dumbfounded on the ground._

* * *

><p>Ben opened his eyes. He was standing straight up, and he was no longer in his room. He didn't even know where he was; all he knew was that it was dark and creepy.<p>

"**Not bad, Ben," **said a familiar strong voice from behind. Ben whirled around. It was Ventus, in human form. He was around Kevin's height like this.

"What did that vision mean?" Ben asked the god. "And what is this place?"

Ventus picked at his blue toga. **"I'm not sure what this place is," **he admitted. **I think this is in your dreams, where we can actually talk face to face."**

"So I'm asleep?"

Ventus shrugged his shoulders. **"But that vision is just the beginning. In time, you will learn the truth of your missing memories. But it's best not to push it."**

"Why? Will something bad happen?" Ben scoffed, crossing his arms.

"**Well, yes, usually." **Ventus cocked an eyebrow. They stayed at the stalemate for a moment before Ben sighed.

"So, I can't ask Carter about this?" Ben asked finally. Ventus thought a moment before answering.

**"You can, but she'll probably try to change the subject. She thinks that if you try to remember too much too soon, it'll have disastrous consequences." **

"For what, the High Breed invasion?" Ben asked.

Ventus's expression darkened. **"Not just that."**

"What?" Ben tried to say more, but then his eyes opened for real this time. He shot up in his bed, breathing heavily. He looked at his alarm clock; it was still an acceptable hour to call Carter's cell. Ben grabbed his phone off his desk and dialed Carter's number as quickly as he could.

"Hello, Ben?" Carter asked when she answered. It sounded like she had to leave a particularly noisy place to hear him. It was silent now.

"Uh, did I call at a bad time?" Ben asked hesitantly.

"Oh, no, it's just Newt and Evan raising hell with Sam leading the charge." Carter sighed audibly. Ben had to smile at the idea of Evan being noisy. He was always kind of loud, but he was always an easy-going guy. At least, until today.

"Do you remember what Evan was talking about earlier?" Ben started. "About being a good leader?"

"Oh, yeah, that," Carter mumbled. "Evan's the vessel of the king of the gods. He's been trained to be a good leader. I think he was trying to tell you that."

"More like yelling."

"You were being stubborn. Not his fault."

"If he's so good at it, why doesn't he take charge?" Ben asked in a rather whiny voice.

"Because your grandfather chose you," Carter said quietly. "I may not know him, but I don't think he would have handed you this mission if he didn't think you could handle it." That put Ben in his place.

"And besides, it's fun watching you learn and grow into a real hero," Carter continued, her voice soft. Ben preened at the word hero, even though there was no way she could see him. "Of course, if you do make a mistake, you have to fix it," Carter admonished. Ben's ego deflated a bit at that.

Then he remembered the reason why he called her in the first place. "Carter, when was the first time we met?"

"At the soccer game," she answered without hesitation.

That made Ben suspicious. "Are you sure we haven't met before then?"

"I'm sure." She didn't sound so sure now.

"Really? Because I just had a vision, and I distinctly remember meeting you back when I was ten!" Ben didn't know why he raised his voice, it just happened that way. Carter didn't answer for a beat.

Then she said, "There are some things you don't need to remember."

"Like what?" Ben's voice was quieter now, and taking on a more desperate tone. "Carter, what happened to me?"

Again, she didn't answer right away. "You got mixed up in something really bad, and the Slayers had to erase your memories."

"Did it involve you?"

"…It involved the Pride."

"Are you ever going to tell me anything else?" Ben was angry again.

"Are you ever going to call me for anything besides Plumber or Slayer stuff?" Carter matched his angry tone.

Ben was puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

"Figure it out!" Carter hung up, leaving Ben even more confused than ever.

* * *

><p>Carter sighed as she put away her cell phone into her little black purse. That had not gone well at all. Still, she put on an indifferent face as she went back to Evan's room.<p>

The episode was paused at the part where Danny Phantom was facing off against Dark Danny, his evil alter ego from ten years into the future. It was always hard to pull off time travel, but Butch Hartman somehow made it work.

Evan, who had the remote, looked at her. "Something up?" he asked.

"Just had a call from Ben," Carter said lightly.

"And…" Newt prompted, making the 'get on with it' hand gesture.

"He apparently had a vision from his past."

Carter's friends looked at one another, the TV forgotten. "Did it involve you?" Sam asked slowly.

"It was actually when we met for the first time, the real first time," Carter corrected, sitting down on the couch.

"And he wanted to know more," Newt continued for her. Evan, who was sitting next to Carter, put an arm around her. Sam got up and poured a soda.

Newt stayed standing behind the couch, one arm hanging loosely around his cousin's neck. "I didn't say anything, of course," Carter continued quietly. She accepted the drink Sam was holding out to her. "I was able to change the subject before I hung up though."

"To what?" Sam inquired. Carter didn't say anything. If Sam didn't know any better, she would say that her best friend was blushing.

"Holy crap, you're blushing!" Next exclaimed. _Okay, so I was right about that_, Sam thought as she sat down on Carter's other side.

"What was it?" Evan prodded jokingly, poking Carter's side. She squirmed, a little smile spreading on her lips.

"Come on," Newt goaded as Sam grinned evilly. "If you don't, you'll know what'll happen."

"All right!" Carter threw up her hands. She really did not want to be tickled to near death right now. "I asked him if he was ever going to call me for anything other than Slayer and/or Plumber stuff." Carter took a sip of Sprite as the others digested this.

"Someone's got a crush of Ben!" Evan sang as Sam burst out laughing. Even Newt couldn't suppress a chuckle at this.

"S-shut up!" Carter cried her face a ripe tomato red.

"D-dude, are you freaking _serious_?" Sam said in between laughing. "You could do so much better."

That was true; Carter was a very pretty girl. She had inherited Cordelia's looks, for crying out loud! Thanks to that, Carter had an array of high-class boys who were just dying to get a single date with her. But all those boys were stuck-up and kind of vain; they only knew a life of luxury, and they were completely oblivious to the real world, how it could easily chew them up, spit them out, and leave them for dead without giving a damn who they thought they were.

But Ben was different. He still hadn't lost that arrogance or childlike immaturity, but he still had a heart of gold. Unlike the boys at that stupid country club the Valentine's went to, Ben was used to criticism, having taking plenty from Gwen when they were younger. He at least knew _some_ of his weaknesses and chose to improve on them, not leaving it all up to luck like some people Carter could mention.

Ben was real, and that was a rarity in the first-class world, where lying and back stabbing was pretty commonplace. All those books revolving around rich people had some truth to them.

"A shame Ben's pretty clueless when it comes to females," Evan said with a loud sigh.

"You mean like the entire male population?" Sam joked.

"Hey, I think I know enough about girls to go out with them long-term," Evan defended. Newt just stood there, resting his chin on the top of Carter's head as she calmed down. All Newt really hoped was that Ben would spend some time with the present Carter so when he remembered what happened back when he was ten, he wouldn't hate her.

If Ben did end up hating Carter, who knew what would happen?

* * *

><p>"Did she seriously say that?" Gwen asked over the phone. After that little spat with Carter, Ben had immediately called Gwen. Normally, he wouldn't have even considered it, but times were changing. Gwen and Ben more or less got along now.<p>

"Yeah, what does that mean?" Ben asked. "I mean, I know she was trying to change the subject, but…"

Gwen sighed, her frustration obvious. "Has it ever occurred to you that maybe Carter wants you to call her for something else?"

"Yes…"

"And you still have no idea what?"

"Yes…"

"Then do exactly what she told you and figure it out!" Gwen hung up the phone with a loud snap. She was lying on her bed now, already in her pajamas. After the whole Michael thing, she just wanted to rest and forget it ever happened. The guys seemed to understand that, though Kevin said it was "better to move on then to forget it happened." Which was actually good advice, now that Gwen thought about it.

Gwen looked at her pink cell phone, still thinking about what Ben said. Gwen had no idea what to make about Carter. She didn't know her well enough to give her approval, and if what Ben said was true, then Carter had too many secrets that could really hurt her cousin. Though from what Gwen gathered, it sounded more like she was trying to protect him, if not herself.

Then there was Evan, who acted different from her cousin despite the physical similarities. He seemed like a smart guy, if a little goofy. It was kind of hard to believe he was a killer. And finally, there was Sam, who could do what Gwen couldn't: take Kevin's heart for her own. Gwen's heart squeezed at the thought. There she was, pitying herself just because some other girl stole her crush. And it wasn't like Sam was rubbing it in her face; in fact, they seemed to be in some sort of dating limbo.

But no matter. If Kevin didn't want her, not even after Michael, then Gwen would move on. She was too young to be hung up over some guy for very long. No more feeling sorry for herself; starting tomorrow she would go after some other guy.

Gwen slept happily that night.

* * *

><p>It was Sunday now, and normally Ben would be doing homework in his room where his parents couldn't watch over him like a hawk. But then he got a call from Sam. That was a first.<p>

"You wanna come over to do homework?" She asked after saying hi.

"Where, to your house?" Ben asked curiously. He did wonder what her house looked like after seeing Evan's place.

"No, to Carter's place. She would have called you, but something happened to Newt and Evan," Sam quickly explained.

"What happened to them?" Ben inquired.

"I think they were trying to do the _Kamehameha _attack from _Dragon Ball Z,_" Sam said. "I'm pretty sure they broke something too."

Ben decided not to comment. "Where is it?"

"Do you remember where Evan's place is?"

"Yes."

"It's actually near there. Just look for a French chateau-slash-castle." Sam hung up before Ben could ask how he was supposed to get there.

* * *

><p>After lying to his parents, Ben turned into Jetray and flew to Sterling Hills, almost instantly seeing Evan's house. A castle type house was not too far away from it, along with some giant, old-fashioned Japanese-styled mansion. Ben assumed this was what Sam was talking about earlier on the phone.<p>

After landing and turning back to human form, Ben ringed the doorbell and hoisted his backpack on his back. After a few minutes, Carter answered the door, a big smile on her face. "Come on in!" She gestured inside.

It seemed that Carter was willing to forget about last night.

"We're hanging in my room," she continued, leading Ben up the dark stairs. Seriously, there was barely any light filtering into the house.

"Why is your house so dark?" Ben asked as he followed Carter.

"I think it's to protect the artwork." She pointed to the walls, and Ben noticed the priceless works covering it. "Either that, or my grandparents just like it like this."

"Where are your parents?" Ben asked without thinking. But Carter didn't even stop walking.

"Oh, they're both dead."

Ben stopped in his tracks. "Kevin's right. I _am_ a jerk!" Carter turned around and smiled at him.

"No, you're not. Well, at least not now, anyway. Besides, the only reason you asked was because you were curious. Nothing wrong with that."

Ben just followed Carter up to her room.

"KAAAAAAAMMMMMEEEEEEEEEE-" someone shouted. It sounded like Evan.

"Or for the love of-" Carter swore under her breath as she finally opened her bedroom door.

"HAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMEEEEEEE-" Evan's face was beet red and sweaty, his voice straining. He was standing in the middle of the room, screaming his head off. Sam was videotaping this, while Newt just watched in anticipation.

"KNOCK IT OFF!" yelled Carter, making Evan lose his concentration.

"BITCH, I WAS ALMOST THERE!"

"I DON'T CARE! YOU'RE IN MY HOUSE, SO WHEN I SAY KNOCK IT OFF, YOU _KNOCK IT OFF_!" Evan glowered and sat back down on the couch. Sam shut off the camera, while Newt busied himself with a drink.

"This is awkward," Ben said out loud, since he had to say _something_ to fill the silence.

"Okay, so who here actually wants to do homework?" Newt asked, also wanting to fill the silence. Not even Ben raised his hand.

"I still have to do it," he pointed out.

"Why didn't you do it on Friday?" Evan asked like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Who does homework on _Fridays_?" Everyone except Ben raised their hands.

"What do you have for homework?" Evan asked.

Just physics." Ben took off his backpack and started getting out the book.

Evan held out his hand. "Give it here, I'll do it for you."

Ben looked up. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. I'll even make the answers sound like yours." Ben handed over the work, not even caring that he was technically cheating. Everyone did that when it came to schoolwork.

Carter put a hand in his shoulder. "Come on, we have to let Evan finish in peace." She started for the door.

"Why?" Ben asked, but then he looked over his shoulder. Evan's pencil was flying over the paper, going at a rate that probably wasn't humanly possible.

Sam and Newt led Ben out the room and closed the door. "He'll join us in a few minutes. He wouldn't want to miss this."

"Why, what's going on?" Ben inquired, wary.

Carter shrugged. "Nothing. We're just going underground."

"Congratulations, Ben!" Newt proclaimed before Ben could ask any more stupid questions. "You are now about to see the hidden world of the Slayers!"

* * *

><p><em>...And Ben gets a vision from the past. Don't ask me why Ben would hate Carter; I may have the general outline of this story mapped out in my mind, but it could still change at a moment's notice.<em>

_Now, would you please review? I enjoy hearing what others think of my story._


	11. The Forbidden Temple to Ben, At Least

Chapter 11: The Forbidden Temple (To Ben, At Least)

_I got the idea for the underground city when I visited Krakow, Poland. The outside ring was called "new" Krakow, with modern buildings and streets and cars. But downtown was "old" Krakow, where the buildings were old and decrepit. The streets were cobble stoned and no cars could get in due to all the people. It was great inspiration._

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Ben 10 franchise or the song "Prodigal" by OneRepublic._

* * *

><p>"Where the hell is Evan?" Sam asked impatiently. They were waiting in front of the giant portrait of Isaac and Cordelia, and Evan was taking far too long with Ben's homework. Carter and Newt were pretending to air-guitar to Linkin Park on Carter's iPod, and Ben was examining the portrait; or, more exactly, Cordelia's face. From one angle the beautiful lady looked angelic when she was smiling, but at a darker angle, the smile became demonic. Ben could swear he saw fanged teeth.<p>

They heard his pounding feet before they saw him. "Your stuff's in Carter's room," Evan huffed to Ben as he finally caught up to his friends. Carter quickly put away her iPod and went over to the right side of the portrait.

"What are you doing?" Ben asked like the complete newb he was.

"The entrance is behind here," Carter answered quickly as she dragged back the portrait ever so slightly. She was right; a mahogany door was behind it.

Evan pushed Ben towards it. "Newbs first!" he said cheerfully. Ben slid next to the wall and opened the door. He only saw darkness, but before he could search for a light, Evan pushed him through. Then the others clamored in with Carter bringing up the rear, making sure the massive portrait was alright before closing the door.

Ben was surrounded by complete darkness. He knew his friends were right next to him, but he couldn't see them. He couldn't even see his hand when he waved it in front of his own face! Then he felt something from behind him.

"Is someone touching me? I swear, someone is touching me." Ben would have hoped it was Carter, but that would have been weird. He didn't feel anything, even when the lights flickered on. It must have been his imagination. The light revealed a network of seemingly-endless tunnels that looked identical to one another.

"Just go straight," Sam said, pointing to the tunnel in front of them. "We'll direct you to the city." Before Ben could ask her what happened in the dark, she pushed him towards the tunnel. He got the hint. He didn't notice how the others looked at one another quizzically over what Ben was talking about earlier. They first assumed Carter was the one touching Ben in the dark, but she had been in the back. No one else would have done it, so it must have been Ben's imagination. They _were_ in an underground tunnel, after all.

After about a good ten minutes of walking straight, they finally reached a set of great oak doors that were bigger than Ben's house. Metal bars crisscrossed over it, making the entrance heavily fortified. Newt stepped in front of them all. His eyes glowed honey gold and he opened his mouth.

"_We say good-bye__  
><em>_I turn my back__  
><em>_Run away, run away__  
><em>_So predictable__  
><em>_Not far from here__  
><em>_You see me crack__  
><em>_Like a bone, like a bone__  
><em>_I'm so breakable "_

Ben's eyes widened to the size of quarters. Newt's voice was even better than Carter's, if that was possible. It was warm and smooth, like Frank Sinatra, or maybe Elvis Presley, only the voice was lighter. Ben remembered what Cordelia had said when he first met her: "Isaac is the carrier for Lyrica, god of the arts."

Obviously, Newt was the vessel of the art god. Which meant that Carter must have inherited some of Lyrica's power. Go figure.

The doors began to open, the steel bars receding into the walls. The noise was loud, so Ben had to shout to be heard. "Is that the password?" Carter shook her head.

"The door is voice activated," she shouted back. "A random song is preferred, though."

The doors began to open, and Ben had to close his eyes to not get blinded by the light. When he opened them, he saw an underground city.

It was beautiful: Ancient Roman-styled buildings made out of stone and brick, creating a haphazard map of twisting alleys and stores and homes. The ceiling had rainbow stalagmites on the ceiling, giving the city natural lighting of the colorful variety. The architecture looked old and somewhat worn, so it was weird that the people milling about were wearing normal street clothes. From the vantage point, Ben could see a market with hawkers crowing their wares; what appeared to be a school, though it was empty; to his left a large, shiny aqueduct giving the city its water; and to the right… Ben gasped.

"You guys stole the Coliseum!"

"Wrong!" Carter said while laughing. "This one looks too new and intact to be the Coliseum in Rome. But it's an easy mistake to make." Ben took a second glance at it and decided she was right; it was too polished to be the one in Rome.

"Come on!" Evan ran past him to the path down the hill. "We don't have all day!" The others were running down the path.

Carter grabbed Ben's arm. "Come on, already!" Her smile was infectious. Right now, it didn't matter to Ben what happened in his past. He would find out in due time.

* * *

><p>"So you're saying that there are other cities like this?" Ben asked Newt. They were all outside an outlet clothing store in the downtown area of the city. The downtown looked much older than the surrounding area, which had clean Roman buildings that looked brand new. The downtown looked more rundown and old, with crumbly and burnt looking buildings. It was a stark contrast to the modernity of the outer ring.<p>

Newt nodded. "It's a network of interrelated cities all throughout the world. You can travel by train- which is super fast, by the way-, by teleportation, or by using subspace."

"What _is_ subspace?"

"It's faster-than-light transmit. You can find it in Star Trek."

Ben looked inside the store, where Evan, Sam, and Carter were browsing. "What's taking them so long?" Ben asked anxiously.

"I think Evan ordered a shirt here. He must be buying it right now." Sure enough, the three of them appeared, Evan holding a black plastic bag in his hand.

"What did you buy?" Newt asked. Evan got it out. It was a red shirt with the words, "Beam me up, Scotty! There's no intelligent life down here", in large graphics. Newt gaped at it. "Don't worry, man. I bought you one." Evan grinned. Newt gave a squeal- a freaking _squeal_- and high-fived his best friend.

"Nerds," Carter said affectionately, while Sam just snickered. Ben shifted his feet awkwardly. He shouldn't be witnessing this, this close group of friends. He felt like an intruder.

"Well, come on!" Carter grabbed Ben's arm. "We have a city to see!"

"Woo!" Evan whooped as he jumped off the steps onto the cobblestoned road.

"Let's go, go!" Sam cried as she pulled Newt to hurry him up. Ben followed Carter's lead and went after her, a huge smile on his face.

* * *

><p>"You have bathhouses?" Ben asked as they neared a giant Roman building with large white pillars supporting it. For whatever reason, he could hear screams of joy and laughter and water whooshing, like there was a water park in there.<p>

"That's right. You haven't lived until you had a Roman bath," Newt said dreamily, like he was imagining being in there.

Sam pointed down the road. "Over there's the biggest karaoke joint here." They kept pointing out different attractions as they continued walking.

"Over there's the armory. It used to be a part of the Defense Wall, but it kept getting trashed in the war games, so they moved it here." Carter.

"The Defense Wall's on the left of the city, far away from the Coliseum." Newt.

"We're close to the red light district. I have a cousin who got knifed there." Sam.

"What was your cousin doing over there?" Evan asked. Sam shrugged. They all started to the right, near the college campus. It was beautiful, with plants and trees and little stores and restaurants. The buildings looked old and worn like the rest of the city, but they were painted a gold color.

"You have a college down here?" Ben asked daftly.

"Some people can't go out into the outside world, so they go to underground schools here," Newt answered. "Besides, it's easier to learn Slayer skills without humans around."

"We can't go in here without a chaperone," Evan said glumly, "so we have to move on." Ben took one last look at the college students walking about. It was so weird to see normal-looking people just going about their daily lives underneath Bellwood. As they walked away, he asked, "Why can't we get in?"

"We're under eighteen," Sam said, as if that explained everything.

"We've got one more place for you to see," Newt said. "Come on, we don't have all day."

* * *

><p>"Oh my god," Ben whispered to himself. He was in the middle of an enormous plaza filled with temples. There were thousands of them, all ranging from small to large. There was one for the lord of the dead, all black with skulls and diamonds on the roof with a giant skull hanging on the door. There was another for the fortune goddess, a small gray temple, since luck could be either good or bad. Lyrica's temple was gold with music notes on the walls and a mosaic of colors on the roof. Kirche's temple was blood red and surrounded by a multi-colored fire. Erda's was green, with grass and flowers and animals frolicking through the garden outside of it. Aquaria's was the color of the sea, with water markings and seashells in the walls. All were Roman style architecture and all were placed in a giant circle.<p>

"Ben." Carter steered him to the left, where a large blue temple was. There was a domed skylight replacing the roof, and lightning bolts surrounded the building and changed color from yellow to blue to red to purple. This was the temple for Ventus, he was sure of it.

Ben began to go up to it, but Evan grabbed his shoulder. "You can't just yet."

"Why not?" Ben demanded.

"Phineas hasn't claimed you yet. You can't go in there without his consent." Evan shrugged his shoulders, like it was no big deal. But it was a big deal, at least to Ben. According to the Slayers, this was technically his birthright. How was Ben not allowed to go in there?

"Until you start training with Phineas, you can't really do anything," Carter explained further. Ben looked back at the supposedly forbidden temple and started for it again. Carter tried to stop him, but Evan gently grabbed her arm and pulled her back. He shook his head and they all watched as Ben slammed into an invisible force field.

Ben rubbed his sore nose as he prodded the space in front of him. Yep, definitely a force field. At least it didn't electrocute him. He could hear the others walk up to him. He was about to say that they were right when they all _walked right past him_.

"Oh, that is so unfair!" Ben whined as the others stopped just short of the stone steps leading up to the temple.

"Sorry, man. Anyone can access the temples to worship, but only Phineas can let you in," Newt said.

"So until I meet Phineas, I can't get into any of them?" Ben gestured to the buildings surrounding them.

"At least it gives you something to aim for," Carter said cheerfully as she walked back to Ben.

"Why are you so happy?" he asked rather meanly. She stopped smiling.

"I'm not. But if I don't act like it, the rest of them will be sad," she said softly. "We have to head back," Carter said out loud. Newt grimaced.

* * *

><p>"So this is good bye?" Ben asked Newt back in Carter's room. The sun was beginning to set, and Newt had to get back to Washington.<p>

"For now," he said as he gave Ben a hug. He then did the same thing to all his friends, right before picking up his suitcase. Carter got out her subspace card- Sam had finally remembered to return it- and swiped it down. The green door appeared and Newt grabbed his cousin's hand.

"I'll see you tomorrow!" Carter said to Ben right before stepping through the door first. The door closed after them, and it disappeared.

"So that's how it works," Ben said out loud.

"Yeah. A shame a subspace card is so expensive," Evan said sadly. Ben looked at him.

"But you're loaded!"

"Dude, we were trained by Cordelia not to take things for granted," Sam retorted. "Just because we're rich doesn't mean we don't know the value of a dollar."

"How can you train someone not to take money for granted?"

Sam shuddered. "You don't want to know, trust me."

"Anyway, I gotta go." Ben grabbed his backpack from the couch and headed out the bedroom door.

"Dude, just use the balcony," Evan said, gesturing to the large window.

"She has a balcony?" Ben stalked over to it and threw it open to see that, yes, Carter had a balcony. Ben sighed as he turned into Jetray.

"See you tomorrow at school!" Evan called at Ben as he flew away.

Evan turned back to Sam. "What so we do now?"

Sam smiled sheepishly. "Kamehameha?" she asked.

Evan grinned. "Kamehameha."

* * *

><p>Ken Tennyson was riding high. He had just left Daytona Beach after a few days of partying with his college buddies, and he got quite a few numbers from some hotties over there. Yeah, he was happy.<p>

He was supposed to be back in Bellwood in a couple of days. He was stoked to see his family after so long. Just because Ken was a college student didn't mean he forgot his family.

He was in Santa Mira when his car broke down. Luckily it wasn't night just yet; the sky was beginning to go from blue to a reddish color. He was able to find a garage to park and fix his car for the time being. The guys working there were a little…odd, but they were nice enough. And if they could fix Ken's car in a few short days, then fine by Ken.

Once outside the parking garage, Ken fished his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed home. All he got was a voicemail; they must have been out. He quickly told them his whereabouts and that he might be a few days late due to car trouble. He didn't notice one of the repair guys sneaking up behind him until his call had ended.

"Ahhhh!" Ken cried, startled. The repair guy just smiled.

"I'm sorry about startling you. I didn't want to disturb your call."

Ken's heart slowed to its rate. "It's fine. Is there a problem?"

"Yes, with your car." The repair man gestured into the garage. "There's something we need to clarify before we continue." Ken, puzzled about what they were talking about, followed.

The parking garage was dim, with the only light coming from the windows. "Why is it-" Ken began to ask when the other repair guy hit him with a metal bat. Ken slumped to the floor, unconscious. The two repair men hoisted his body from the floor and carried him to a truck, where Ken's body was thrown carelessly into the back of. The two repair men quickly went to the front of the truck and started the engine.

* * *

><p><strong>About two days later<strong>

That night, it rained. A lone man in a gray trench coat and an old-fashioned hat was outside a coffee shop. When he walked in, he noticed that it was empty save for the elderly waitress. The waitress instantly went up to him as he took his seat. "Want to hear about the special?" she offered.

"Just coffee," said the man.

Trying to make conversation, the waitress said, "Don't get too many strangers here," as she made the customer's coffee. "What brings you to Santa Mira?"

"Great fishing, great weather," the customer said blithely. That made the waitress turn back to look at him.

"Our fish are all farm-raised," she said, "and this is the rainy season."

Max Tennyson took his hat off and smiled. "I was misinformed." The waitress set down a dish with a silver cover on it.

"Here's your special." Max looked at her, confused.

"I didn't order a special."

The waitress began to take off the cover. "It's on the house," she said with a pleasant smile.

She took off the cover and out popped a Xenocyte, or a DNAlien leech. It hissed and launched itself at Max, who quickly elbowed it onto the ground. As it rolled away, the waitress tried to strangle Max from behind. Max elbowed her, but she just smiled evilly. Max returned said smile. "Your one strong lady… or are you?" He grabbed her face and pulled off the mask hiding her true DNAlien form.

Kicking off from the table, Max sent the DNAlien to the floor with his back. Max rolled away, gasping for air. He saw the Xenocyte crawl quickly towards him. He got up slightly and grabbed the metal coffee pot from the counter. As the Xenocyte got closer, Max slammed the pot onto its head, effectively killing it.

Max stood up, and as lightning flashed across the rainy sky, he said, "I _said_, just coffee."

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day<strong>

"Uh, no. Or let me put it another way, _no!"_ Kevin yelled at Ben as he dried the front of his car with a rag. They were outside a car wash in Bellwood, not too far from Santa Mira.

"Come on, Kev, he's my cousin!" Ben said, trying to get Kevin to change his mind. "He was supposed to be home from college two days ago."

"And _you_ want _me_ to waste _my_ time and _my_ car looking for _your_ cousin?"

"I know it sounds bad," Ben started, "but the police said to wait. I'm sure he's fine, we just don't know where he is."

"Daytona Beach or Fort Lauderdale; he's a _college_ student."

"No," Ben pleaded. "He called from the road and said his car broke down in some town called Santa Mira. We haven't heard anything since. His parents are worried."

"And I'm supposed to care _why_?"

"Because he's my brother," Gwen answered for Ben. Kevin stopped wiping his car down and looked at her sad, scared face. Kevin was pretty weak against a face like that.

"Get in."

* * *

><p>"So you want us to destroy an egg hatchery?" Evan asked in Isaac's study.<p>

"Yes. If these Xenocytes are shipped all over the country, the DNAlien population would grow enormously, thus nearly solidifying the High Breeds chance at total domination," Isaac said grimly.

"That's a nice thought," Carter said sarcastically.

"The hearse will take you to Santa Mira. This is an official search and destroy mission. If any DNAliens get in your way, kill them."

* * *

><p>"What? Your brother's name is Ken? Gwen and Ken Tennyson? What's your folks' name, Fen and Jen? I'm talking to you, Ben."<p>

"Yes, our names rhyme," Ben grumbled as Kevin finished laughing.

"I'm just having some fun. I don't see what the big deal is," Kevin said, trying to make up for his behavior.

Gwen smiled as she remembered her brother. "Ken took Ben to his first soccer game. When his band played, he snuck me and my friends backstage. Ken's the coolest guy in the world." By then the car had passed the welcoming sign into Santa Mira.

"For such a cool guy, he sure picked a lame place to spend spring break," Kevin remarked as they drove into town.

"Ken is totally cool," Gwen protested as they passed the coffee shop. "He didn't pick where the Awesome-mobile broke down."

Kevin started laughing again. "The Awesome-mobile?"

"His car," Ben explained. "I told you, he's cool."

"Oh, yeah, who could doubt it?"

"We should hit the garages in town," Ben said. "Find Ken's car, find Ken."

"Good idea," Kevin noted. "I mean, how many garaged can this hole support?"

* * *

><p>"Five. Five garages. One horse town and five garages." Kevin was in shock, while Gwen was shivering in the rain. It was safe to say that Kevin wasn't making things better.<p>

"Five garages so far," Ben reminded him as he looked through the window into the garage. "And if the Awesome-mobile isn't in this one-bingo!"

"You found a bingo game?" Kevin asked as he pushed Ben aside.

"I found his car," Ben said as Kevin took a good look at Ken's poor excuse of a car, which at this point was being held together solely by duct tape.

"That's the Awesome-mobile?" Kevin couldn't keep the laughter out of his voice. "That thing makes the Rust Bucket look like a Ferrari." Kevin began walking towards the door. The Tennyson cousins were still looking through the window.

"They've already locked up for the night," Gwen said.

That was when Kevin ran up to the door and knocked it off its hinges. "If Ken's so cool, he'll be happy to pay for that." The cousins walked past him to the car, opening it and searching through its contents. "Ah, dirty laundry for mom to wash," Kevin joked. "This guy really is a class act."

Gwen searched through it, saying, as if to herself, "There must be a clue in here to help us find Ken."

"What, like maybe he left a note?" Kevin asked Ben as he looked through Ken's textbooks. Kevin opened the engine and said, "Whoa."

"What is it?" Ben asked as he and Gwen hurried to Kevin's side.

"The only thing not covered in rust." Kevin detached the pink and black object from the engine and held it up. "Its alien tech. Projects a field that dampens internal combustion."

"His car was sabotaged," Gwen said in horror. "Why? Ken's-"

"Too cool?" Kevin asked.

"Too normal," Ben corrected. "He doesn't know anything about the aliens. Why would they go after him?"

"Wonder when they did this?" Kevin turned back to the engine. "It's connected directly into-" he stopped when his hand fell into yellow goo.

"Eww, gross!" Gwen shrieked in disgust. Kevin held up his goo-covered hand. "What is this?" he asked as the Omnitrix started beeping and lighting up. Ben held it to Kevin.

"I don't know, but the Omnitrix doesn't like it."

"What is going on here?" Gwen asked.

"Wouldn't mind knowing that myself," said a voice from behind. The three of them turned to see two guys walking into the open doorway. One was holding a white, box-like container. Both of them were smiling creepily.

The guy without the box asked, "What are you doing in my garage?" The guy with the box set it down gently, and the two of them walked up to Ben and his team.

"You reckon I should call the sheriff?" one of them said a little too happily.

"Yeah, you do that," Ben said, crossing his arms. "I bet he'll be real interested to find out what happened to the kid who owns this car." That wiped the smile of the two guys' faces.

"What do you mean?" one of them said. His voice was fairly husky, while the other's was high-pitched.

"He dropped off the car," Husky continued, placing the creepy smile back on his face. "We fixed it, he didn't come back." Kevin walked over to the driver's seat of the Awesome-mobile and tried turning on the engine. It didn't start up.

"You fixed it, huh?" Kevin glared at Husky and Pitch.

"We was aiming to fix it," Pitch started as Gwen walked over to the white box, "but things got busy around here." Gwen opened the box to discover yellow goop in it. Ben walked over to her and saw the contents.

"Okay, that's it. What is that stuff?" he pointed to it as he glared at the workers.

Lightning flashed, revealing a hazy hologram of two DNAliens. "Check it out," Kevin joked. "It's the DNA hillbillies." Knowing their cover was blown, husky threw up a wad of yellow goop from his mouth and sent Gwen flying. He turned around and did the same thing to Kevin, gluing him to the window. He then turned back to Ben, who was trying to work the Omnitrix. Husky threw up another wad, throwing Ben against the wall. Husky and Pitch threw of their masks and revealed their true DNAlien form.

They began walking towards Ben, but he was able to get his arm free and slam a hand on the Omnitrix. Turning into Humungousaur, he effectively scared the DNAliens to at least back up. Gwen used her powers to get out of the goop she was in and she sent an energy blast to own of them, blasting them away and unconscious. Ben roared at the other one, forcing it to flee out the door. Unfortunately for him, Kevin was standing there, all decked out in armor. The DNAlien slammed into him, knocking him out.

"That's a work related accident," Kevin pointed out. "You can sue."

As Kevin took off his metal armor, he looked at the Tennyson cousins. "What do we do now?"

* * *

><p>They were outside the coffee shop where Max was earlier, all in human form. "I thought if we retraced his steps, we'd find a clue, but there's nothing here," Gwen said as she shivered in the rain. As if on cue, they all heard a sound coming from a giant red truck from the right of them.<p>

"I wouldn't say nothing," Ben said as the noise started up again.

They all walked towards it as quietly as they could. Ben opened the back of the truck and saw a DNAlien bound by the hands with energy cuffs and a red shirt in his mouth hole. The DNAlien turned to look at them, knocking over a white box of disgusting yellow slime.

Kevin viciously grabbed the red cloth from its mouth. "Okay, start talking!" he ordered as the Omnitrix started beeping again. "What is up with you?" Ben asked it, as if it had a mouth and could answer his question. Ben waved the Omnitrix over the slime and it said, in a robotic male voice, "Unknown DNA sample acquired."

"That's new," Ben said out loud.

"Ben, you want to look at this," Gwen said, alarm evident in her voice. In her hands was a piece of a red shirt with dorky Hawaiian flowers on it. Ben knew that shirt anywhere.

"What is it?" Kevin asked.

"It's Grandpa Max!" Gwen said. She glared at the DNAlien. "Tell us who tied you up. NOW!"

"M-Max Tennyson!" The DNAlien finally said. "He wanted to find some kid!"

"Where is he?" Ben demanded.

"I don't know. He cuffed me and left me here," the DNAlien said truthfully.

"Not him!" Gwen yelled. "He can take care of himself! Where's the kid? Where is my brother?"

The DNAlien cowered under her gaze and stammered, "A-At the hatchery."

* * *

><p><em>So...many...line breaks...<em>

_I order you to review! Please?_


	12. The Animorphs Rip-Off

Chapter 12: The Animorphs Rip-Off

_Ooh, look, a shiny new chapter!_

_I'm pleased to see that last chapter made a few of you crack up. Then again, I only got one review saying it was funny. *stares at reader pointedly*_

* * *

><p>"I am <em>not<em> swimming in that." Sam crossed her arms and glared down at the green water in front of her. The Pride had changed into full gear before leaving for Santa Mira for their mission. James had dropped them off at the hatchery a few hours later. After running through the gaping hole in the chain-link fence, they stopped in their tracks when they saw the weather machine. So that was the cause of all the nasty weather!

After a few minutes of contemplating their next course of action, it was decided that they had to go in undetected. That meant swimming in one of the three pools of disgusting green liquid.

"Come on, Sam, we have to finish the mission," Carter pleaded, giving her friend the puppy dog eyes, which was kind of hard to see with the mask on.

That was when Evan plunged into the water headfirst. The splash made the girls look at him, and they watched as he glided through the water easily, with strong, rhythmic strokes. Carter turned to Sam, shrugged, and in one fell move, jumped and rolled into the water. Her head popped out, gasping for air, and Carter was swimming away. Sam groaned and shuddered involuntarily, but jumped in as well.

They didn't see the old fat man running up to the fence.

* * *

><p>Evan's head popped up inside the hatchery, gasping. He looked around for any unwelcome hosts as he waited for his friends to show up.<p>

Carter was next, followed by a very angry Sam. "This is disgusting!" she whispered fiercely. "Do you have any idea what kind of chemicals and sludge we've been swimming in?"

"Don't know, don't wanna know," Evan answered curtly as he propelled himself towards the metal ladder. They were in the last part of the Hatchery, where they must have cleaned off the eggs or something. They didn't really know; no one had thought to look this place up.

Evan was the first one to climb onto the metal platform. He cleared the way for Carter and Sam and shook off the extra water droplets. Then he took off his mask, which made a gross sucking sound when he took it off. "We should have taken off the masks before diving," Carter remarked when she joined Evan. She too took of the mask.

Sam was the last one up and, as always, she was complaining. "I never should have agreed to this!" she moaned as she took off her own mask.

That was when they heard footsteps. Startled, the Pride looked up to see a lone DNAlien staring at them. A moment's hesitation and the DNAlien was running towards the side, probably to alert its brethren.

A shot to the head was all it took to take him down. Evan blew off the smoke from the barrel of his gun and sent it back into its charm form.

"You're really getting good at split-second attacks," Carter complimented him as the three of them began to walk towards the body.

"It helps when you have to be sneaky," Evan said as they got a better look at the body. It wasn't dead; its arm was still twitching. Carter summoned her athame, a double-edged blade with a black handle, and slit its throat, or what passed as a throat. After a few moments of watching it twitch and moan, it lay still, permanently this time.

The Pride walked away from the body and stood in the center of the platform. "Sam, can you use your powers?" Evan asked hopefully. She nodded and closed her eyes. In a burst of energy, she sent her firepower as a warm red aura around her, drying her and her friends off and leaving them toasty warm. After five seconds of that, the aura was sucked back into Sam's body. All three of them put their masks back on just in time for Max Tennyson's head to pop out of the water.

Max looked at the three Slayers before him and asked, "Did Cordelia send you?"

"Yeah," Evan answered casually, gesturing to the ladder to Max's left. Max swam towards the ladder and climbed up quickly. The Pride walked over to him, Sam with her hands out. She had a ball of fire in each hand, meant to dry off the old man. Max thanked her gratefully before turning back to Evan.

"What's your mission?" he asked.

"We were sent to destroy all Xenocytes here," Carter said. "How 'bout you?"

"I think my grandson was captured by the DNAliens," Max said, his voice grim. "I'm here to find Ken and hopefully stop the High Breeds from taking over the universe." The Pride looked at each other.

"Our missions are separate. We'll look out for your nephew, but there are no promises," Sam said, now finished with drying off Max. "What does he look like?"

"Red hair, green eyes, in college…"

"Is he Gwen's older brother?" Evan asked. Max's eyes grew sad. "Yes." Carter was the only one who heard the sharp intake of breath coming from Sam.

"Chances are, he's about to turn into a DNAlien," Evan continued. "If we find him, we'll try to keep him safe. If not, that's your problem." Max smiled bitterly. _You don't interfere with our mission, and we don't interfere with yours. _He had heard Cordelia say that so many times that it was permanently stuck in his brain. If the Slayers and Plumbers ever met up with one another on a mission, they would just go their separate ways. Slayers often gave little helpful hints, though. If they saw your target, they would say so and maybe even give some information on their whereabouts. They wouldn't physically help you, oh no; Plumbers and Slayers still hated each other. But that didn't mean the two of them couldn't call a temporary truce and help each other out occasionally. They were all part of the same organization, after all.

The Pride stood away from Max and began to walk carefully off the platform. "Good luck!" Carter called out to him before they left the room. Max smiled at the three of them right before he saw the body. His eyes grew wide before he remembered who was just talking to.

After making sure the hallway was empty, Carter turned to Sam. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she said in a small voice.

"It's about Todd, isn't it?" Evan asked, though it sounded more like a statement. Sam didn't say anything.

Carter sighed through her nose. "You can't abandon the mission to look for Gwen's brother. You can't save everybody." She said that last a bit bitterly.

Sam closed her eyes. She knew that, she really did. But that didn't stop Sam from remembering Todd's face when he died in that hospital bed at the young age of thirteen. The official story was that he had died from appendicitis, but the DuBaer family knew better. They didn't know how Todd had died, but whenever Sam or her little brother Charlie tried looking it up, they always got shot down. But Sam really wanted to know. She was the one who had seen Todd die, had heard him scream as whatever he saw frightened him to death.

Sam opened her eyes and narrowed them. "Let's do this."

* * *

><p>Gwen felt the tentacles gripping her shoulder before it dragged her down into the green water. She had not seen enough <em>hentai<em> to know what came next, but that didn't stop her from using her powers from blasting the tentacles away from her.

Ben and his team had found the hatchery no problem and had decided to swim in through the moat thingies to get in undetected. That left them open for an undercover attack, which is exactly what happened to Gwen. When she popped up from the water, she shuddered. "Disgusting."

After swimming into the hatchery, Ben noticed the large amount of DNAliens surrounding them. "We are so not stealthy."

"But we kick much butt," Kevin said, grinning. Ben slammed down the dial of the Omnitrix and turned into Big Chill, using his wings to get out of the water. He phased through two DNAliens who were about to spit green slime at them, freezing them from the inside. He phased through two more before joking, "I thought you guys liked it cold."

Kevin swam to the side of the pool and absorbed the metal out of the floor, encasing him in his armor. He punched through two of the freaks before punching a third. Gwen used her powers to create steps to get out of the water and up in the air. She used bursts of energy to shoot DNAliens out of condition from the sky.

But the last alien she hit still looked human, or at least humanoid. She hovered down to examine it, and stared into a pair of green eyes that was so much like her own. "Ken!" she cried. "It's my brother!"

After finishing off the last of the fully-formed DNAliens, Kevin and a now human Ben stood near Gwen and Ken. "We have to help him!" Gwen started running towards her brother, but Ben grabbed her shoulders.

"He was fighting us! Whatever they did to him must have affected his mind."

"What…they…did to me," Ken started to say, "is SET ME FREE!" Ken grabbed an unconscious DNAlien and threw it at his cousins, forcing them to duck to the ground. They stared at their once awesome cousin in shock.

"Let's get him!" Kevin roared, running to attack him.

"No!" Gwen cried, using her powers to stop Ken from hurting anyone else. "He's just sick! That thing on his head, it's making him do this!" Gwen was referring to the DNAlien head that was wrapping itself around Ken's head, forcing the boy to do its will, kind of like the Yeerks in the Animorph book series.

"Then let's get it off him." Kevin reached a hand towards the DNAlien head and tried to pull it off, much to the pain and discomfort of Ken.

"Wait, you're hurting him!" Ben physically grabbed Kevin's hand away from Ken, forcing him to let go. That was when the Omnitrix started glowing green and beeping again.

"Severe genetic damage detected," the Omnitrix said in its robotic voice.

"Uh, Omnitrix," Ben said nervously, "is that you?"

"Genetic code splicing error. Shall we attempt a repair?" the Omnitrix said.

"Try to fix Ken?" Ben asked hopefully. "Yeah, let's do it!" Ben grabbed Ken's head, and the Omnitrix began to go crazy.

"What are you doing?" Gwen asked.

"I have no idea," Ben answered as he was sucked into the world of the Omnitrix.

* * *

><p>"Holy crap I'm inside the Omnitrix!" was Ben's first reaction. It was black with green swirling around him, with the occasional flash of lightning illuminating the cylinder Ben was floating in. He was soon floating above a giant Ken, which was weird because Ken shouldn't have been inside the Omnitrix. Ben reached over to him and tried to take off the DNAlien stuck to his head, but gray tentacles appeared out of nowhere and wrapped around Ben. Ben had seen enough <em>hentai<em> to know where this was going, and he madly pawed at the Omnitrix. But his left arm was entrapped in tentacles, leaving him defenseless.

Ben screamed before his airway was blocked.

* * *

><p>"Ben?" Gwen asked out of concern.<p>

Ben eyes snapped open, and he saw the DNAlien head in his head. He peered over at a totally human Ken, kneeling in exhaustion. Ben threw the head away from him and glared at the Omnitrix. "Remind me to get a manual for you," he told it before checking up on Ken.

"Everything's going to be okay, Ken," Gwen told her brother soothingly as she knelt down beside him.

"No, it's not," he said. "I captured and handed Grandpa Max over to _them_. I couldn't stop. It was like I was watching someone else do it to them."

Yep, definitely like the Yeerks in Animorphs.

"They have Grandpa Max?" Ben looked over at Gwen.

"That's why they took me," Ken continued. "They knew he'd come for me. They needed him out of the way, there plan, it's... terrible." Ben looked at the top of the room, which held large, pink veins crisscrossing towards the room next door.

"Then let's go find him."

Ken stood up, albeit shakily. "I'm coming with you," he said, desperate to make up for his mistake.

"You wanna help?" Kevin asked, his armor giving away to flesh. "Cool."

* * *

><p>When they walked into the room, they saw their grandfather tied up with the pink veins. "Grandpa Max!" Ben cried happily, running towards him. Gwen followed and used her powers to release him. Before Max could stand up, his grandchildren tackled him with hugs. Ken and Kevin walked over slowly, since neither could join in.<p>

Max looked at Ken with a smile. "Glad to see you all right, Kenny."

"I didn't know what I was doing. It was like-" Ken tried to explain himself, but his grandfather stopped him with a hug.

"It's okay," he told him, cheering Ken up immensely. Max turned to Ben with pride written all over his face. "I always knew you could do it," he said, making Ben preen at the praise.

"I'm so proud of you, all of you. Even you, Kevin." Everyone turned to look at the self-proclaimed tough guy. "You've come a long way. I've been watching. You might even earn that Plumbers badge you swiped!" Whatever pride Kevin felt at Max's words quickly fell to embarrassment.

"Though I do wonder how you all easily got along with the Pride," Max thought out loud.

"They came to us first," Ben admitted. "Where are they, anyway? I thought they would have been here ages ago." Ben looked around, as if to check for a sign of Carter or her friends.

As if on some imaginary cue, they could hear the tapping of heels connecting to the metal platform as the Pride ran into the vein room. "I told you not to mess with the explosives!" Sam yelled at Evan as they ran in.

"But I like playing with dynamite!" Evan whined right before they saw Max.

"What are you guys _wearing_?" Kevin asked, giving them the once over.

"We wear this on Slayer missions," Carter said, taking off her mask. The other two followed suit.

Max didn't seem surprised. "I figured Cordelia would send you for_ this_ job."

"Not like we wanted to," Evan said, shrugging his shoulders. "But we can't get Cordelia angry." The Pride and Max shuddered at the thought, leaving the rest wondering exactly how scary this Cordelia person was.

That was when a creepy broadcast sounded in the room, forcing the conversation to stop. "Attention, all personnel," the creepy voice said. "Initiate Project DNA now." Ben ran over to the window nearest them and looked at all the DNAliens in their blue hover vehicles hovering over the green water outside the hatchery. The water was drained out of the moats, revealing pods of Xenocytes.

"We _swam_ in that?" Sam seethed under her breath.

The DNAliens hovered over the pods and quickly collected them, sucking them into special holes under the vehicles. They transported the pods to other DNAliens, where they had a special metal full of pod-shaped holes waiting for them. After inserting the pods, the DNAliens moved the metal to a truck, where other pods were already situated there. And there were hundreds of trucks outside the hatchery.

"What are they doing?" Ben asked to whoever had the answer.

"They're shipping those Xenocytes all over the country, making their own DNAlien army," Max answered before the trucks started exploding.

It happened in succession, with the first one exploding, then the one next to it, like a chain reaction. Every single truck exploded, making the hatchery tremble at the sheer power. Evan caught Gwen and Ken to stop them from falling, while Sam quickly led Kevin to the wall to sit down. Carter staggered towards the window and was nearly blinded by the light shining through. Maybe that was why Max and Ben were huddling away from the window.

When the explosions and trembling finally stopped, there was only silence, punctured by Evan's victorious, "Not anymore!"

"Where did you get the explosives to do_ that_?" Max asked. He hadn't seen anything like that on the kids when he saw them earlier.

"Slayer technology upgraded since you were in the field," Sam said, finally taking off her wig. Evan did the same and got out a hair band to tie up his hair.

Ken looked at Evan in shock. "You-"

Ben held up a hand. "Long story."

Carter and Sam high-fived each other. "Mission accomplished," Carter said happily. She spoke too soon. DNAliens must have heard them, because they were starting to file into the vein room. They were not happy.

"You ruined everything!" one of them cried.

The ones with powers began to fight, but Gwen beat them to it. "You kidnapped my brother, turned him into a monster, and you kidnapped my grandfather. I HAVE HAD IT!" With an incredible burst of power, she zapped the aliens away, throwing them to the floor, against the vein-y walls, and out the door.

Sam marveled at the destruction Gwen caused as she finally calmed down. "I think it'll be fun arguing with you." Sam smiled, making the others think she was crazy, which probably wasn't that far from the truth.

Ben turned to his Grandpa, only to see him gone. "Where's Grandpa Max?" he asked. Lights flashed towards the right, and the heroes ran towards it. But before they could Max, they found a giant pile of eggs nestled in a crater in the floor. They were being expunged from a red vein at the top.

"Worst road trip ever," Kevin said.

"I don't think we have enough dynamite for this," Carter said worriedly.

"Its fine, I can just burn them," Sam said, already throwing great balls of fire at the pile. The hatchlings, still unborn, did not make a single sound. The smell was awful though.

Crinkling her nose, Carter willed a giant ice mallet to form in her hands. She smashed the burning eggs in one fell swoop, creating a yellowish goop to overflow out of the crater. The mallet disappeared back into Carter's body, and Kevin was about to ask how she did all that when bright flashes of light came from the room before them. The heroes instantly ran into it, shielding their eyes from the glare.

When the lights faded away, they saw Grandpa Max duking it out with a furious High Breed. Max was whacking the High Breed with a red pipe thing, but he was hardly doing any damage. The High Breed snatched the pipe from Max's hands and tossed it aside. Then it slammed a palm down on him, entrapping him.

"Let him go!" Ken ordered, pointing at the alien. Like that would help.

"Stay back," the High Breed said, "or this one breathes no more." He held up Grandpa Max in his hand.

"Give up!" Ben yelled at the alien. "We've beaten you! We've destroyed all your trucks and your eggs! It's over!"

"You fools," the High Breed sneered. "More trucks can be here in a matter of hours and my DNAlien hordes-" the High Breed gestured to the large army of aliens from the window.

"Are already here," Evan finished for the High Breed. "Well that's a kick in the pants."

"It ends now, Plumber," the High Breed said to Max. "There's nowhere left to run."

Max smirked. "I wasn't running, chief. I was looking for the egg machine." Max reached into his green bag-where'd that come from? -and got out a Null Void projector.

"You think you can imprison us all in the Null Void?" the High Breed asked.

"No, but without the focus lens-" Max took off the focus lens, making the rest of the device short-circuit- "this will make a pretty good imitation of a hand grenade. I figure it'll take out half a mile."

"You wouldn't dare!" the High Breed scoffed. "You'll be destroyed, and your offspring!" There was no time to tell the monster that half of the kids weren't even related to Max.

"Gwen," Max ordered, "throw up an energy field around you and the others and hold on tight. And be a good girl."

"Grandpa Max, no! Please!" Ben pleaded desperately, trying to get to his grandfather. Ken and Kevin held him off, trying to make him stop struggling.

"Sorry, Ben, but it's the only way to make sure they can't control the rest of the world like how they controlled Ken," Grandpa Max said solemnly. "You'll have to take it from here. I know you can do it. I believe in you, in all of you."

Max's eyes swept over the young team, from his own flesh and blood to the Kevin and the Slayers. Cordelia would have made sure the Pride could handle whatever was thrown at them. As for Kevin, Ben, and Gwen, Max knew they could figure it out. His grand kids had already proven themselves when Ben had to go to Azmuth to stop the Omnitrix from detonating and blowing up the universe back when he was ten. Ben and Gwen hadn't needed their grandfather to hold their hands and lead them to victory. They could do it on their own.

They could save the world without him.

Max winked for the last time before pressing the detonator button on his bomb. "NOOOO!" Ben cried as Gwen threw up an energy shield. The explosion was even bigger than the explosions the Pride had created. They could hear the hatchery blowing up around them, fire and smoke billowing about and debris falling from the sky. And then it was gone, along with Max Tennyson.

It was a while before Gwen could let go of the shield. "That…was pretty hardcore," Kevin said slowly, shocked over what just happened.

"He-he saved the whole world," Gwen stuttered.

"Yeah," Ben said, "for now. But I don't think those things are giving up anytime soon."

"What are you saying?" Gwen asked him sharply. Ben looked at her seriously.

"I'm saying it's up to someone else to protect this planet. And like it or not, I think it's up to us."

* * *

><p>Cordelia watched the scene unfold on the plasma TV in Isaac's study. Isaac was standing, leaning slightly on a black cane. On the desk, a bottle of red wine lay in a bucket of ice with two wine glasses next to it.<p>

Cordelia closed her eyes and saw Max's death replay in her mind. She didn't cry; she had lived far too long to cry over a single teammate. Besides, she knew about Max's self-sacrificing attitude. To save the world, he would gladly give up his own life. Cordelia always knew that was what would kill him in the end, and she was right.

Sometimes, Cordelia hated being right.

Isaac popped open the wine bottle and began to pour wine into the glasses. Cordelia stood up and waited patiently for Isaac to finish. She set his cane against the desk he always sat behind to make sure it didn't fall.

Isaac held out a wine glass to his wife. She took it and he offered a toast. "Let possibly the most courageous man the world will never know rest in peace." As the two of them drank, Cordelia prayed to whatever god was listening that Ben didn't go out in a blazing glory just like his grandfather.

* * *

><p><em>...And according to the show, Ken never shows up again, not even for summer vacation. Hell, I don't think he's ever mentioned again.<em>

_I hope I did Max's death scene justice. Man of Action did a pretty good job of it, considering it's a kids' show._

_Review, people! They motivate me to work of the story. *hint hint*_


	13. Quote the Raven, Nevermore

Chapter 13: Quote the Raven, Nevermore

_Just saw some episodes of Omniverse, and I have to vent: Why the hell did they make an alien out of Lego bricks?_ _I can understand trying to make the show more suitable for kids, but that's just stupid. I also hate the designs for Kevin and Gwen. I can't hate the animator since it's the same person who animated Teen Titans, but I still don't like it._

_I do like Rook, though. He's just so naive about the world that I want to cheer him on._

_End of rant. Here are a few answers to some reviews:_

_To __**demii**__: What do you mean by something? Do you want more action? More interaction between Ben and Ventus? You have to be more specific._

_To __**Reyna Gold**__: First of all, love the name. Second of all, I was thinking up this story LONG before I ever read the Percy Jackson series. There are a lot of similarities between the two, but it's all coincidental. You don't have to believe it, but it's true._

_Enough with that. On with the chapter!_

* * *

><p>That night, Ben cried.<p>

When Ken came home, a tearful reunion followed thanks to his parents. The Slayers had flown away soon afterwards, and Kevin dropped off Ben at his home. When his parents accused him of disregarding curfew, Ben had told them the truth: he was just following up on a lead about Grandpa, even though that was technically the police's job.

He didn't have the heart to tell them the complete truth.

The tears started flowing in the shower when Ben was finally alone. He put the shower on high so no one could hear the pitiful sounds coming from the bathroom. His body shook and he curled up into a little ball as the water ran over him, washing away his tears as more came to replace them. Ben stayed in the shower for a long time, perhaps too long, before finally washing his face and shutting off the shower.

Now it was nearly midnight, and Ben still couldn't sleep. He could still see Grandpa Max's final moments replaying behind his eyelids, like a bad movie he couldn't shut off.

_**Don't be sad, Ben, **_Ventus said, his voice warm and calming.

_Why not? Grandpa's dead and now I have to lead a team of kids to defeat a bunch of aliens who would kill them without a second thought! Its suicide!_

_**It's normal to feel depressed when someone you love dies. But you can't stay that way forever. And I don't think your grandfather would let you lead a team if he didn't think you could do it.**_

…_Really?_

If Ventus could roll his eyes, he would. _**Duh! And who said you were alone? You've got me, your cousin, that boy Kevin, and the Slayers. They all believe in you and they'll stick by your side no matter what.**_

Ben smiled as his eyelids grew heavy.

* * *

><p>Late Friday night, a smoking spaceship could be found in the woods just outside Bellwood. Slowly a black and green blob escaped out of the devastated ship, slowly scanning the area for help. But the blob had just been recently created, so it didn't really know what it was doing. All it knew was that he needed to get help and fast.<p>

The blob effortlessly jumped out of the crater created by the fallen spaceship and quickly slithered out of the forest and near the road. It spied with its one green and black eye a giant red truck on the other side of the road. It appeared to be in decent condition, save for the flat tire. The truck driver was attempting to change it, a spare tire right next to him.

Since the blob couldn't communicate with organic life forms such as humans, it decided to slither over to the truck. Maybe the human could understand if it took the truck over! It never occurred to the innocent creature that it could be dangerous.

The blob jumped into the grill of the truck, separating itself to easily slither into the engine and take control of the vehicle. The interior of the truck began to show green circuit board-like designs against a black backdrop, showing the takeover. The exterior of the truck showed the same designs, though how the truck driver didn't notice it was beyond the blob's comprehension.

The truck turned to drive mode, and the steering wheel turned to the left, forcing the truck in that same direction. The accelerator was slammed down, and the driver backed away on his knees as the truck drove away. As the truck drove away onto the empty highway, the truck driver regained his wits and ran after it.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?"

If the blob had legs, he would have jumped for joy. This human could understand him! Maybe he could help! The blob forced the vehicle to turn around and go towards the man. The man then started screaming and ran away. The blob was puzzled by this action; did this mean that it needed to find someone else who could help?

* * *

><p>Ben couldn't stay depressed forever. Grandpa wouldn't have wanted him to be sad all the time. That meant Ben needed to get on with his life and maybe ask a girl out for once.<p>

Evan had invited Ben and his team to some sort of tennis match on Saturday in hopes of getting the Tennyson teens out of their depression due to the loss of their grandpa.

Ben was pretty sure he was just using that as an excuse to ask out Julie Yamamoto, the cute girl playing in the match.

Nevertheless, everyone was seated in the stands patiently watching the match end. Well, nearly everyone-Kevin and Sam decided to take a snooze far away from the crowd since they thought tennis was boring. Carter thought so too, but then again, she didn't like watching sports in general. She could see Ben fiddle with his phone all during the match when he thought no one was watching, probably texting some friends. Since it was an unusually warm Saturday, Ben wasn't wearing his signature jacket. Fine by Carter; now she could ogle Ben's muscles without having to imagine them under the green fabric. She did it discreetly, of course.

Gwen and Evan were the only ones in their little group actually paying attention to the tennis match. Gwen was really into it, watching the scoreboard and silently cheering as Julie won every set. Evan wasn't a tennis buff, but he liked to admit that Julie was very good at the sport. He couldn't help getting into the game, just like Gwen.

Suddenly the opponent knocked the tennis ball into the net, giving Julie the advantage. Just before she served, she looked at the crowd and spotted Evan. Julie smiled and gave a little wave, making Evan's grin wider.

After Julie served and resumed the match, Gwen turned to Evan. "She totally likes you. Ask her out, I dare you." She gave him a little elbow nudge.

Evan's smile wavered before dropping completely. "I should, but what if she finds out about my powers?" he whispered so as not to attract attention from the crowd.

"She won't," Gwen reassured him. "And if she does and doesn't like you for who you are, then she's not the right one for you." Evan gave his friend a little one-armed hug before going back to the match, his signature smile back on his face.

Julie hit the ball towards the left, and her opponent ran after it to hit it back before it hit the ground, but it was too late. Julie threw her hands in the air as a victory pose, and the crowd cheered.

Kevin decided to wake up then. "W-what I miss?" he asked blearily as he saw the area around him. He saw Sam sleeping next to him, only an arm's length away, and he gently shook her awake.

"W-what I miss?" she asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Now go! Here's your chance!" Gwen pushed Evan to the ground below, making sure he didn't fall over the bleachers and make a complete fool out of himself. Ben and Carter stood up and made their way to the bottom of the stands, Ben finally hiding his phone away.

"Who were you texting during the match?" Carter asked curiously as people cleared out of the field.

"Not texting; surfing. I just got Internet on my phone and I was goofing around," Ben admitted sheepishly. Carter was happy for him. He seemed a lot more cheerful now than he did during the week, ever since his grandfather passed.

Ben looked around the tiny stadium: Kevin and Sam were still on the bleachers, taking their time getting down. Evan was flirting with Julie, and doing a great job, seeing as Julie was giggling at whatever Evan just said. Gwen was watching them, a little smile playing on her lips. That meant no one could interrupt Ben.

"So, Carter," he started nervously.

"Hmm?" she said, giving Ben her full attention.

"Do you want to, I don't know, hang out sometime? I mean, if it's okay with you…" Ben blushed furiously at how bad he was crashing right now.

Carter blinked. Ben was asking her out? Right here, right now? Well, that came as a bit of a surprise. Carter had thought she would have to take the initiative and ask _him_ out, and soon, but apparently he beat her to it. Unfortunately, he was kind of failing at it. Carter had to save him.

"Do you mean just the two of us?"

"Yes." Ben's face was heating up like the inside of an oven right now.

Carter smiled. "I'd love to."

Ben smiled happily. "Great! Does tonight work for you?"

"I'll call you if anything comes up," Carter answered, silently praying to Aquaria that Cordelia didn't have a job for her tonight.

"I'll pick you up at seven then!" Ben said, even though he would have to ask Kevin for a favor. His only two options for a ride were Kevin and his parents, and there was _no way_ he would ask his parents.

Kevin and Sam finally decided to join them. "What's going on?" Sam asked just as Evan gave a whoop and walked away from a giggly Julie, his arms in the air in victory.

"I think Evan has a date," Carter said.

When the four of them caught up with him, he was asking Gwen something. "Hey, guys," Gwen asked the others. "Are there any good movies out tonight? Evan's got a date."

"So we've heard," Ben deadpanned. He got out his green cell phone. "I can check for you. I just got Internet on my phone."

"You better be careful with that," Evan warned. "Going on the Internet can really suck up your minutes."

"It can?"

* * *

><p>A deputy was radioing his fellow officers when the little blob struck again.<p>

The blob had abandoned the red truck on the side of the road when it found out that the driver, in fact, could not communicate with it and help it. The blob decided to bid its time near the truck, just in case someone came along to examine the wreckage. Maybe it could find someone who could help now!

Some sort of human came along to inspect the truck, leaving a perfectly good police car ripe for the picking. Wait… police car… Something in the blob's database clicked. Yes, he was supposed to find some sort of intergalactic police! What were they called, the… the Plumbers? Yes, the Plumbers! He was supposed to find them and get help!

The blob slithered to the police car and took it over, changing the black and white design to black with green circuit boards all over it.

"What do you mean he said 'it just drove away by itself'?" the deputy was saying into his radio. "That just doesn't happen!" The possessed police car drove away then, disproving the deputy once and for all.

* * *

><p>Carter walked out of the bathroom into her room to see a certain redhead on her couch.<p>

"Sam, what are you doing here?" she asked her best friend as she tightened the belt of her purple bathrobe.

"Hanging around, watching you get dressed for your date with Ben," Sam said casually as she got off the couch.

"Was I that obvious?"

"No, but Ben was." Sam rolled her eyes at the memory. "Red cheeks, sparkly eyes, that happy look he gave you whenever he looked at you… yeah, obvious."

Carter gave a snort of laughter as she walked into her walk-in closet. The closet was fairly large, rectangular shaped with three rows of clothing, and half a wall dedicated to shoes and hats and purses and the other half for a tall dresser. A mirror hung off the wall from the opposite direction, though it left the rest of the wall quite bare. The closet was large enough for ten people to hide in there, even someone of Kevin's build, so Carter could easily change in there. She had to leave the doors open slightly to let some light in, though. There wasn't a light switch in there.

"What are you wearing?" Sam asked as she stood beside the closet.

"Just my normal clothing," Carter answered as she discarded the robe. "It's a casual date."

"Is Ben picking you up?" Sam asked, hoping to spark a conversation.

"Well yes, I suppose he is."

"What, is he going to pick you up as own of his aliens? It's not like he has a car, or a license for that matter."

"I don't know. Maybe he'll ask his parents or something."

"Oh, hell no," Sam said. She walked over to the couch where her cell was and began to dial.

"Who are you calling?" Carter called from the closet.

"Kevin, maybe he'll agree to it," Sam answered as the phone began to ring.

Carter left Sam to it and put on her Linkin Park band T-shirt. All she needed to put on now were her purple and black striped stockings and combat boots. But Carter examined her face in the mirror first, making sure nothing unsightly came up when she wasn't looking. Nothing noticeable, save for a giant bump in the middle of her right cheek. It was going to start hurting later, but for right now Carter could cover it up when she got back to the bathroom.

Carter quickly slipped on her stockings and boots and walked out of the closet. Sam was still talking on the phone, so she sneaked back into her bathroom-which was just across the hall for her bedroom- and put on some of that new cream Cordelia gave her. The spot where Carter put on the cream burned a little, and after a minute it stopped. Washing the flesh-colored gunk away, Carter saw that the would-be pimple was gone.

"What the hell?" Carter muttered under her breath as she examined the ingredients. Damn, it was all in Latin. She would have to decipher it later.

Sam had finished talking to Kevin by the time Carter walked back in. "Ben's going to use Kevin to pick you up," she said as she put her phone away.

"I'm guessing you're coming along then?" Carter smirked at her. "Why don't you just ask him out already?"

"I would, but Kevin's one of those old-fashioned guys. He wants to do the asking." Sam shrugged. "I say let him. It'll make him feel better about himself anyway."

Carter gave her a mock bow. "You are so good at manipulating guys. Teach me, o wise one."

"I will later. But first tell me: what about David?"

"What about him?"

Sam stared at her like she was crazy. "Wasn't he one of the guys who tried to ask you out?"

Carter shrugged. "He tried to be my friend first. It's not a bad tactic, but it could lead to him being friend zoned. And besides, we have nothing in common. He was more into sports, I was more into art and English. Did you know he didn't even know who Edgar Allan Poe was until I told him?"

"_What_? But every other kid his age knows who he is! Hell, we learned about him in the seventh grade!" Sam jumped up from the couch, suddenly too agitated to sit down.

"Now you know why I don't bother with him." Carter admitted to herself that she was being kind of harsh on David, but even if he did know who Poe was, Carter simply wasn't interested in him. She was searching for more of a lasting relationship, not some normal high school fling.

Carter prided herself on not being normal.

"I have to go." Sam suddenly started walking towards the door, purse on her shoulder.

"Wait, you aren't going to make fun of me while we're in the car, are you?" Carter asked hesitantly.

"Bye, Carter," Sam said sweetly as she left.

Carter sat on her couch and buried her face in her hands.

* * *

><p>Ben Tennyson was examining himself in the mirror in his room. He had gone home and tried to relax before taking a shower and scrubbing himself clean. Then he put on a change of clothes and tried to do his hair, but it just wouldn't budge from its awkward appearance.<p>

"Great!" Ben began talking to himself. "My hair looks stupid, my shirt's wrinkled, and I have a zit the size of Kansas." Ben swept some hair away from his forehead to see exactly how big the blemish was. He didn't notice Kevin walking behind him until he started talking.

"Yep, that's one big zit all right," he deadpanned startling Ben and making him hide his pimple.

"How'd you get in here?" Ben asked once he calmed down a little. Kevin revealed his left arm, which had a coating of metal over it.

"The usual way," he said as the metal disappeared. Kevin turned around to sit in Ben's desk chair. "By the way, you might want to fix that hole in your back door before your mom sees."

Ben sat on his bed. "You couldn't have knocked?"

Kevin leaned back in the chair. "I sorta did," he said with a nonchalant shrug. Defeated this time, Ben sat on his bed.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a strange and dangerous person?"

"Constantly." Kevin smiled. "But enough about me. Sam says that you need a favor."

"Uh, yeah," Ben admitted. "You see, I kind of want to go to the Pier tonight… with Carter."

"She's too hot for you."

"Sam's too hot for you!"

Kevin shrugged. "True. But then again, she has fire powers, so it's kind of a given."

"Anyway," Ben continued, "since I don't have a car-"

"Or a license," Kevin interrupted. Ben sighed; Kevin _really_ wanted to drag this out of him, didn't he?

"I was wondering if you could give us a ride."

Kevin stood up, a disarming smile on his face. "'Kay." Ben looked up at him, confused.

"That's it? No jokes, no insults, no blackmail?" Kevin walked to the door and absorbed the metal from Ben's doorknob onto his hand. "Wow. Thanks," Ben said, genuinely glad that Kevin was being mature about this. Wait a minute-Kevin, _mature_? "Hey, wait. You're going to wait until we're in the car and then make my life miserable, aren't you?"

Kevin gave a devious little smile, slamming the door shut behind him and taking the doorknob with him. "Knob's broken!" he called out as he walked away.

* * *

><p>At seven, Kevin drove his car onto Carter's driveway. "Whoa," he said, looking at the chateau-thing in front of him.<p>

"I know, right?" Ben agreed from the backseat, putting on his favorite jacket.

"And you're saying Sam lives here too?" Kevin asked, talking about Sterling Hills in general.

"Yeah, I think so," Ben said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"So she lied to me about where she lived," Kevin said to himself, a little hurt.

"She lives in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the world. She probably thought that if you knew you would use her for her money," Ben explained. Kevin had to admit that Sam had a pretty good reason for lying to him, and that made the ugly hurt feelings inside him go away. But there was one thing still bothering him.

"If she lied to me about where she lived, then how did she really get home?" Kevin asked himself. Ben had the answer.

"She probably flew home. Or maybe she used teleportation or subspace. Newt told me that Slayers had that kind of technology."

"What the hell is subspace?"

"Faster-than-light transmit. It's in Star Trek or something." Ben stopped talking as Carter and Sam walked up to the car. Once safely inside, they backed out of the driveway and left for the Pier.

* * *

><p>The teasing didn't start until they were halfway to their destination.<p>

Ben had awkwardly tried to look at Carter, and then looked away when she noticed. Kevin saw this through the rearview mirror and an evil smile crossed his lips. His voiced changed into a mocking parental tone and he said, "Now remember Benny-boy, you're mother and I want you home by ten o'clock sharp or you can't go to the disco."

"He could be back by ten, but then again that Panic! At the Disco concert's been sold out for months now, so even if he wanted to go he couldn't," Carter lied smoothly to save Ben. She didn't actually know if there was a concert like that going on, but if Kevin and Sam were going to tease them both, why couldn't she blow out some of the fire?

"How would you know?" Sam inquired. "You don't follow concerts." So much for that idea.

"Hey, at least he can ask a girl out, unlike a certain guy I know," Carter retorted. Ben put the side of his fist to his mouth and sucked in a breath. Now _that_ was below the belt. Sam, from the passenger seat, looked over at Kevin, who seemed unfazed by the insult. Then he did the most immature thing he could do.

He chanted, "Ben's got a girlfriend, Ben's got a girlfriend!" Of course Sam had to join in with, "Carter's got a boyfriend, Carter's got a boyfriend!"

Thoroughly humiliated, Ben put his face in one hand. Carter, hating to lose any kind of fight, kicked the back of Sam's seat, which only made her laugh harder.

Unbeknownst to the four of them, a black and green police car was following them, tracking the signal of Ben's Omnitrix and the other's Plumbers badges.

* * *

><p>After dropping them off at the Pier, Ben turned to Carter. "I'm really sorry about Kevin. He just loves making fun of me."<p>

"Same thing with Sam," Carter noted. She surveyed the Pier and saw the lack of people there. "Slow night."

"Yeah this place is usually packed on weekends," Ben said, hands in his pockets.

"That's good," Carter said softly, slowly hugging Ben's arm and looking him in the eyes. "We have the whole place to ourselves." Ben grinned as his heart raced. Was Carter wearing some kind of minty perfume?

"Yeah."

_**Nice vocabulary, **_Ventus sneered. _Not now, Ventus! _Ben yelled at him, forcing the mental wall to go up. All the while he walked down the Pier with his date on his arm-so to speak-, his goofy smile hanging on his face.

And then the Omnitrix started beeping, which was followed by something else beeping. Carter let go of Ben and got the Plumbers badge out of her boot (it was a very convenient place to put valuables). Along with the Omnitrix, it was lighting up and beeping and was very annoying.

"What's going on?" Ben asked loudly to be heard over the beeping.

"I think there's an alien nearby," Carter said as she slammed her fist against her badge. It didn't stop lighting up. Ben looked around for said alien. He didn't see anything, but just in case, he grabbed Carter's hand and pulled her away from the open area. If the alien wanted a fight, it would have to do so away from civilians.

They both hid behind a wooden stand near the front entrance. Neither of them noticed the blob that was slithering towards them and the sound of their beeping. The blob looked at the two of them and saw that they both had Plumbers symbols on them. They could help it! But how was it going to communicate with them? The blob turned to the bumper car attraction next to it. Perfect! The blob slithered over to it and took over the nearest car.

The beeping finally stopped. "Where's the alien?" Carter asked, alarmed. There was no way it could have just disappeared…could it?

Not according to the screams coming from the bumper car attraction. A green and black bumper car jumped over the rails of the ride and stopped in front of Ben and Carter, snarling and looking pretty damn angry. It even had a set of ugly green teeth, and it was directed right at them.

"You have got to be kidding me," Carter said in the face of danger.

Then they both started running away, and the monster followed them. "We have to get it away from the people here!" Ben said as they ran past amusement park attractions. Carter looked out in front of them and saw the collection of yellow trash bins in their way.

"Jump!" she ordered, and they both leaped over the bins and hit the ground running. The car monster barreled through the bins without so much as a scratch.

They two of them ran past the Ferris wheel and into another maze of stands and stores. A guy with a cotton candy cart was napping on the job, but he woke up when Ben and Carter jumped over his machine. "Sorry!" Carter called out.

"Watch out!" Ben warned as the alien car zoomed in on them.

"What?" the man said, right before his eyes widened and he dodged to the left. The monster drove through the machine, utterly destroying it and nearly taking out the seller as well.

Disoriented, the monster looked around but couldn't find either of them anywhere. But then it saw the ladder connected to the Ferris wheel and it honed in on Carter and Ben, who were climbing up it.

"Why are the carnival rides attacking us?" Ben asked rhetorically as he saw the monster glare up at them.

Carter, who was leading, said, "I don't remember any horror movies about this!"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"If I remember, maybe I can find a way to destroy it. But there are no evil carnival ride movies!"

Since said evil carnival ride could not climb the ladder and follow them, it began to ram itself into the red column, forcing Ben and Carter to let go. They both fell into the seat of the bumper car, and while Ben should have enjoyed the feeling of having Carter on top of him, it was ruined when the bumper monster started driving away.

Carter detangled herself from Ben and tried to stand up. "I am so over this!" she said through gritted teeth. Ben looked up and pointed. Both of them got out of the seat and climbed over the motor of the car. They both grabbed onto the carnival decorations above them (which were crisscrossing and connected to the stands), getting them off that crazy ride.

As they let go of the decorations, the car monster turned around and glared at them, and revved its engines as it prepared to attack again. "I have an idea!" Ben said, shrugging off his jacket. "You stand back," he told Carter, who backed away slowly.

As the car glared at him, Ben waved his jacket to the side of him. "Andale, Andale!" he goaded. Carter face palmed. But the monster fell for it, and drove fast to hit Ben. But Ben got out of the way just in time, and instead of hitting Ben, it hit a little land post instead. With a loud bang, the monster car was flipped over and badly injured.

Ben put on his jacket. "I really hope there's a simple explanation for this."

"I kind of doubt it," Carter said as she walked up to Ben. "But it can't be very smart if it fell for that trick."

"Hey, that was pure genius!" Ben retorted as the two of them walked away.

They didn't notice the blob slithering out of the bumper car.

Nor did they notice the concession stand man glaring at them until they walked up to him.

"We've got a date with my insurance company!" he said as he jerked a thumb at his destroyed cotton candy machine. Carter sighed as she got out a check book and pen from her combat boots (how much stuff did she have in those things?). She scribbled down the necessary components and ripped it out.

"Here's a thousand dollars from my college fund to pay for the damages," she said as she handed over the check. "That should pay for everything."

"And we'll take two cotton candies, please," Ben said shamelessly. The man looked at them and rolled his eyes. He took two blue cotton candies and grabbed the money from Ben's hand.

"We should get out of here," Carter whispered to Ben, who nodded silently.

As they walked away, ripping out their sugary treats from its web, Ben stated, "I keep forgetting that your filthy rich. Was that really from your college fund?"

"No, my grandparents will probably pay for that," Carter said. "That money was from my personal bank account. I only say college because people expect it."

"Yeah, well, let's forget about that. Alien's gone, and we have the whole place to ourselves." Ben shoved some cotton candy in his mouth and smiled, showing off his blue teeth. Carter giggled as she pointed out one of the rides she wanted to go on next.

* * *

><p><em>Ben was a little out of character in the beginning, but since they never showed how Ben and Gwen reacted after Max's supposed death, I felt it was necessary here.<em>

_Remember to review!_


	14. When Carnival Rides Attack

Chapter 14: When Carnival Rides Attack

_Since so many people wanted me to update faster, here's the next chapter two days earlier. Like I said a long time ago, there isn't a schedule for this, and besides, I'm busy with school and a whole bunch of other things that I don't want to tell you about._

_That, and writing a single chapter for this story takes about three hours to write. So don't start whining about slow updates, cause I don't want to hear it._

* * *

><p>"So when were you going to tell me about the rich lifestyle?" Kevin asked as he drove his car away from the Pier. They had just dropped off Ben and Carter, and Sam was wishing she had teased them a bit more.<p>

Sam looked at Kevin, all thoughts of merrymaking leaving her mind. "I don't know," she said truthfully. "It would have been soon, though."

Kevin shrugged. "I can understand why you didn't say anything. I mean, it would be easy for someone to use you for your money."

"You're not mad?"

Kevin smiled. "Nah, but no more secrets, okay?"

Sam almost couldn't believe it. She rarely allowed herself to hope. Hope was painful: hoping that feelings wouldn't get hurt, hoping that Kevin would understand, that was too painful to think about. Expecting him to get angry with no hope of him understanding, now that was easy. It was a dead feeling, almost like ripping the Band-Aid off a wound and excepting the pain.

But Kevin did understand, which filled Sam up with strange feelings of genuine _hope_.

Happy, Sam said, "Fine by me. I suppose now would be a good time to ask me some questions. I have to answer truthfully now."

Smiling, Kevin thought for a moment. "What's your last name?"

"DuBaer."

"You're kidding," Kevin groaned, though he didn't seem very shocked by the news.

"Did you already know?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I've heard rumors that the DuBaer family had flaming hair, so I just put two and two together," Kevin said.

"Are you okay with me being a DuBaer?"

"Well, yeah. I just have to remember not to get you angry," Kevin joked. "I've heard rumors that your family controls most of the underground here on Earth."

"I don't know if that's true," Sam admitted. Well, of course she didn't know. She was only in high school, after all. Her knowledge on her family's business and their connections was vague at best.

"All I know is that my family will sell weapons to the highest bidder," Sam said solemnly. "It doesn't matter who or what they are."

Kevin risked a peek at her. "Something tells me you're not happy about that."

"I guess I'm just indifferent about it." And Sam was. If the DuBaer family sold weapons to bad guys with big plans, that would mean the Slayers would issue a reward for their deaths. The more weapons they bought from the DuBaers', the bigger the reward.

Sam looked at the car's radio clock. "We still have some time before I'm expected home. What do we do?"

Kevin thought for a moment. "Auto-show?"

Sam mulled that over. "I've always enjoyed looking at cars," she said truthfully.

"Really?" That surprised Kevin.

"Well, yeah. I like looking at all the different types." Sam looked at Kevin, who had his eyes on the road like a good driver. "My dad taught me a lot about cars, like how to hotwire it and change a tire. Stuff like that."

"You're dad sounds great," Kevin said wistfully.

Sam picked up on that. "I guess. I don't really see him a lot."

"He runs the business, right?" Kevin asked.

"No, he owns a software company."

"Then who runs the weapons industry?"

"That's a secret." Sam put a finger to her smiling lips and gave a sly wink. "Now, where's the auto-show?"

* * *

><p>Evan was not happy with his date.<p>

Sure, Julie was nice and athletic and a totally awesome friend, but she and Evan didn't really have much in common. Julie liked tennis; Evan preferred video games. Julie listened to hip-hop and J-pop; Evan listened to metal and J-rock (which were totally different, by the way). Julie was a normal human with normal human ambitions; Evan was a killer who planned on assassinating a lot more villains in the future.

Even Julie was picking up on the vibes. Evan was very good when it came to people, easily starting conversations and discussions over almost nothing, but with Julie the conversations often ended before they even started. How was he supposed to have a good time with his date when they couldn't talk to each other?

By the end of the movie, it was unanimous: there would be no second date.

As the two of them walked out of the movie theater, Evan noticed a poster on the wall that he hadn't seen when he came in. It was an advertisement for an old horror movie that would be back on the big screen soon: _When Carnival Rides Attack._ Evan smiled to himself. No doubt Carter had seen this movie.

* * *

><p>"Can I ask you something?" Ben said after they had finished their cotton candies.<p>

"Fire away," Carter said blithely. They were walking around the Pier at this point, just hanging out and looking for an interesting ride.

"Why do you kill people?"

Carter stopped short, all the happy feelings bubbling inside her gone in an instant. She turned to Ben, her face stony, eyes cold. "I don't kill people, I kill criminals."

"Okay, but why?" Ben was regretting asking such a thing.

Carter looked at him blankly. Why _did_ she kill criminals? It was a job, yes, but it was also…

"You know how some bad guys are given second chances to do good?"

"Yes." Ben was familiar with Kevin's turn around.

"Slayers don't always believe in second chances. There's always the risk that they'll abuse the chance they've got and turn out to be something even worse. Slayers don't take that risk."

"But what if they do change?"

Carter looked Ben in the eye. "People don't change that easily, Ben," she said, her voice low and sad. But then she brightened, her eyes lighting up. "But look on the bright side. If we take out the threat beforehand, so many innocent lives are saved."

"So you'll take a life if it means saving a lot more?" Ben didn't know what to make of that. He wanted everyone to live, regardless if they were bad and good. To just kill someone…That wasn't something Ben ever wanted to understand.

"Don't worry, you won't have to do that," Carter said cheerfully.

Ben looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean the Slayers are okay with you doing what you've been doing all along." Carter pointed to the Omnitrix. "Beating up the bad guys and handing them over to the authorities is fine by them."

"If they're so okay with it, why don't they do it?" Ben crossed his arms.

"Because Slayers deal with corrupt CEOs and drug lords and gang crime and stuff like that. You don't. You don't get into the messy political business where the law can't help the innocent." Carter smiled at Ben. "Sometimes bad guys make the best good guys. Now come on, we're on a date." Carter grabbed Ben's arm and started dragging him away, desperate to change the subject.

But Ben couldn't keep his mind off what Carter just said. She was right; Ben didn't deal with the messy political world. He dealt with alien invaders and criminals. He never even considered turning to the crime in politics, even though he knew it was there. He just didn't understand it enough to meddle. But politicians and gang bangers were seriously bad dudes, stealing from the poor and putting innocent people in the worst possible situation, giving them only death as an escape. Those people simply didn't care about anything except themselves.

It made Ben wonder if the Slayers were right after all.

When Carter finally slowed down, they were in front of the Jet Fighter, a ride that looked like a jet plane and that bounced and swerved in place to make the people inside sick to their stomachs.

"This looks fun," Carter said, pointing to it.

"Especially if you don't mind wrenching G-forces and waves of nausea," Ben deadpanned, staring at the ride with childlike joy.

Neither noticed the gelatinous blob hopping behind the aircraft.

"Are you saying you don't want to ride it?" Carter nudged Ben in a joking matter.

"No, I'm saying it's a good thing we only ate cotton candy," Ben explained before looking back at the fighter. He frowned when he saw the black and green circuit board design overtaking the Jet Fighter.

"Seriously?" Carter said as she saw what was happening. They stood and watched as the Jet Fighter broke free of its metal restraints and reared its pointed head at them, its wings spread out like a bird.

"Seriously," Ben stated as he grabbed Carter's hand and led her away. The jet tried to go after them, but was still stuck to one of its restraints. It tried to break free, leaving enough time for Carter and Ben to get away.

As they hid behind one of the concession stands, Carter searched for a water source. "Please tell me there are some fire hydrants here," Carter told Ben desperately, her eyes scanning the limited area.

"I thought you didn't need a water source to use your powers," Ben said, remembering that time at the bridge.

"Yeah, but I get tired quickly if I have to create my own ice," Carter explained as the Omnitrix started beeping again.

"Hello, we know already," Ben grumbled to his watch. He tried to look for a suitable alien to fight the Jet Fighter and turned to Jetray. But then the earth shook, settling the two of them off balance. Ben slammed down the dial anyway, turning into a… seafood platter?

"Something tells me that's not the alien you wanted," Carter deadpanned. She quirked an eyebrow at the alien crab in front of her.

"It's not, I'm some sort of seafood platter," Ben said in the alien's voice. "And one with a highly advanced intellect. Ergo, perhaps I should assign this one the name of, let's say, Brain Storm!" The head of the crab crackled with electricity, making Carter take a step back for her own safety. It would be very, _very_ bad if she got hit by stray lightning bolt while she tried to use her powers.

As Carter backed away, the Jet Fighter finally freed itself from its confines and reared its singular gaze on Brain Storm. The Jet Fighter flew into him, knocking him off the ground. When Brain Storm got up, he glared at the fighter. "Now I am most decidedly miffed." He opened his head, revealing a seriously large brain, and shot lightning at the fighter, which dogged them all.

"What the deuce?" Brain Storm cried, shocked.

That was when the jet decided to use its green lasers against the crab. Brain Storm literally thought up a shield, which protected him from the blasts. Unfortunately, one of the blasts veered off in Carter's direction, and Carter couldn't create an ice shield in time. Instead, Brain Storm used his mind powers to create a mini shield around her, levitating her from her spot and putting her somewhere safe.

But before Ben could set her down, Carter had created an ice crossbow twice her size in her arms. She drew back the string and let loose a volley of icicles at the fighter, forcing it to veer out of the way. As Ben set Carter near the Ferris Wheel, the fighter turned its gaze on her. She glared at it despite how tired her arms felt. She looked around and noticed that she was on a _pier on a lake_. Carter face palmed at her own stupidity and started to walk towards it.

By then Brain Storm had effectively shot the possessed fighter out of the sky and into the water with a well placed lightning bolt. "And good riddance to you!" the crab said happily before scuttling away. It went into an unoccupied port-a-potty (though he had some difficult opening it, since he didn't have opposable thumbs) and turned back into Ben. He then left in search of Carter.

Ben found her near the Ferris wheel, at the side where the water was. Some dark water swirled around her as Carter brought her arms up. The water quickly seeped into her skin, giving her the desired energy boost. She turned to see Ben staring at her.

"I forgot we were at a Pier," she told him sheepishly.

"So did I," he admitted. "So what was…?" Ben gestured to her arms.

"When I feel weak, I either have to rest or replace the water I just lost," Carter explained. "So, is the alien gone?"

That was when a cylinder started appearing out of the lake, its green and black design apparent. Carter whirled behind her in time to see that the monster had taken over another ride, one with seats hanging out his claws and that looked like a giant green and black rod. The creature swiped at Carter, who narrowly dogged the attack, only to get knocked out by a swinging seat. With a cry, she slumped to the ground, only to get picked up by one of the seats. When Ben saw her in the egg-shaped seat, she was slumped over, her combat boots hanging over the edge, her only safety net being the metal bar that was attached over her waist.

"CARTER!" Ben yelled to her unconscious form. The carnival ride attacked, swinging more of those egg-shaped seats at Ben, trying to kill him. Ben dodged the crushing blows only to realize too late that he had landed in a trap; the wood that had been hit by the monster quickly caved underneath him, leaving Ben desperately hanging by a piece of broken wood.

Before Ben fell into the lake, he saw the carnival ride walk off with Carter captive.

Stupid carnival ride. It obviously didn't know who it was messing with. In the water, Ben turned into Jetray, who quickly shot out of the water and looked for any signs of a giant, possessed machine.

* * *

><p>When Carter woke up, she could make out the woods in front of her. She could feel the grass beneath her as she lay there, aware of the severe pain at the back of her head. Carter brought up a hand and made it glow blue green before placing it on the bump. Carter bite back tears and she felt the pain slowly ebb away as the bump grew smaller.<p>

As her vision became clear and as the bump disappeared, Carter stood up to see the towering machine in front of her. She put her hands on her hips and snarled at it. "WHAT THE HELL!" she screamed at it, more angry than afraid. But the machine gave no notice. It didn't even move.

"What is up with you?" Carter muttered as she heard someone yell her name. A creature she could only assume was Ben swooped down, looking for her. Carter sneaked out under the monster's legs and slowly made her way over to the alien.

"Carter! Are you okay?" the alien known as Jetray asked her with concern. He reared his head to the monster in front of them. "What did you do to her?"

"It only knocked me out a little," Carter assured him. "I have a pretty hard head."

Jetray turned back into Ben, who looked at her with more concern. "He hit your head pretty hard." He reached out to see the wound only to get his hands slapped away.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," she dismissed. She turned to the monster, which hadn't done anything to them yet. "What do we do with him?"

The monster suddenly reared its head over them and bleated, "Ship… ship!"

"I think it's trying to tell us something," Carter deduced. To emphasize its point, the monster nudged a seat at Ben, forcing him closer to Carter for his own safety. The monster then pointed the seat to the right, with had a red glow in the distance. All the while, the monster was bleating, "Ship…ship…ship!" It no longer sounded like a monster.

"Ship…" Ben said, cottoning on. "You brought us out here to find that spaceship!"

In response, the black and green design on the machine dripped away, leaving it a simple carnival ride. Ben's Omnitrix started beeping again, as did Carter's Plumbers badge. They ran towards the red light, and saw that in fact it was a spaceship, only completely destroyed and with an alien trapped behind an angry red force field.

"I've seen that thing before," Ben realized as his old alien Upgrade came to mind.

"Didn't you turn into one of those?" Carter asked without thinking.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Ben asked suspiciously.

Carter shrugged. "I've heard rumors," she said as she mentally kicked herself for almost revealing something important.

Still suspicious, Ben turned back to the alien just in time to see it get electrocuted. It cried out in pain, and Carter instinctively tried to help him. Ben held her back by putting an arm in front of her.

"That energy field will fry you," he warned.

"We have to do something," she said, looking at the alien.

Then she noticed the beeping alien words right above the alien. "Is that a countdown?" she asked, pointing to it. Ben was about to answer, only to hear a strange purring sound and something rub his leg. It was the green and black blob, only it looked harmless and, to Carter, cute.

"You're what's behind all this?" Ben asked the thing.

"Ship?" the little thing inquired.

"Okay,_ Ship_," Ben decided, looking at Carter. He knelt down to hear what it wanted to say. The thing turned into a mini replica of a spaceship, only to explode. Ben instinctively put up a hand to protect himself, only to realize that the creature was fine and the explosion had been faked.

"Definitely trying to tell you something," Carter said, crouching down to join in. Ben looked again at the clock thing at the ship.

"It _is_ a countdown." Ben shot up off the ground. "That thing's going to explode!"

Ben turned the dial on his Omnitrix to Humungousaur and slammed it down. Humungousaur ran over on his stubby legs to the energy field and walked through it, not without difficulty. He grabbed the device that was creating the force field and pulled it off the ship, electricity buzzing around his hands. The energy field disappeared and Humungousaur threw the device high into the ozone, where it exploded like a firework on steroids. The blast sent an energy wave towards them, and Humungousaur used his body as a shield to protect Carter and Ship from the wave.

Carter could feel the wave pass over them as it disappeared. Once she realized the danger was passed, she opened her eyes to see Humungousaur still over her. "Explosion's over," she told him.

"Oh, right," he said, finally letting go and twirling his fingers sheepishly. Carter snorted as the cuteness of it.

Carter went over to the alien and removed the giant metal restraints holding him down, revealing to Ben/Humungousaur her true strength. "You okay?" she asked the alien.

"Well, yes," the alien said in his prim and proper voice. "As I was saying as I lost consciousness, I created this syndicate, the one you call Ship." He gestured to Ship, who was bobbing his head up and down like it was agreeing with whatever his master said.

"You set it off to the nearest Plumber for help." Carter got out her Plumbers badge. "It was reading the energy signature of my badge and you're Omnitrix!"

"That doesn't explain the beeping, though," Humungousaur pointed out.

"Don't you mean his distress signal?" If the alien had eyebrows, one of them would have been raised.

"I really should have paid more attention when Cordelia was explaining the functions on this thing," Carter said, mostly to herself.

"Aren't you guys Plumbers?" the alien asked exasperatedly.

"I thought you were," Humungousaur said.

"I'm going to spend the rest of my life on this damn planet," the alien muttered under his breath. "Is there anyone else I can talk to here?" he said aloud.

"Not really," Carter said simply. She turned to Ben. "So that's why Ship tried to get our attention."

Humungousaur turned back into Ben, since the Omnitrix needed a serious recharge. "Get our attention? He wrecked the Pier! He hurt you and kidnapped you!" Both of them turned to the dominant alien.

"Well, I needed help," he said defensively.

"That's pretty obvious," Ben deadpanned.

The alien sighed. "And your species wonders why we can only communicate with your livestock. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to repair my warp drive." The alien turned away from them to fiddle with an alien keyboard.

"Come on, be nice," Carter said to Ben. "Aren't you the one who keeps telling me to help people instead of hurt them?" She turned to the alien. "Need any help?"

The alien stopped working and looked at her earnest face. "Well, yes, I suppose I could need a hand or two."

* * *

><p>About a half hour later, Ben and Carter were on the roof of the spaceship, connecting large metal tubes into deep little holes. "That's the last one," Carter said happily as she and Ben set the tube in place.<p>

"I, uh, guess this is probably the worst date you ever had," Ben told Carter, disappointment and humiliation creeping into his voice.

Carter smiled as she leaned closer into the tube. "Are you kidding? This is one of the best dates ever!"

Ben leaned in closer. "Really? Including the part where you got knocked out and kidnapped?"

"Well, that part was pretty bad, but this date was definitely interesting," Carter admitted, her eyelashes fluttering. Her face was very close to Ben's, and he leaned in…

"I'm all done!" the alien called out, interrupting the two teens. More than slightly disappointed, they climbed off the ship and onto the ground, where they found the alien already in his ship and ready for liftoff. As the two of them stood off from the side, Ben noticed that Ship was with them.

"What about this thing?" he asked the alien in the spaceship. "Doesn't he blorp back into your body or something?"

"Blorp." The alien sighed. "That's not how it works. Besides, you and he have had such a wonderful bonding experience. He's yours now." Before Ben could protest, the alien closed the hatch he was talking through and lifted his spaceship off the ground. Ben and Carter closed their eyes to protect them from the wind, and when it finally died down, the spaceship was gone.

After he left, Ship kept rubbing Ben's leg like an affectionate pet. "He's kind of cute," Carter said. "Are you going to keep him?" Ben looked at Ship, who began panting like a dog.

* * *

><p>It had taken them a while, but Ben, Carter, and Ship were finally out of the woods and only a half hour until curfew. Time tends to fly like that when you're being hunted down by an alien dog creature.<p>

"We really need to get home," Ben said, cursing the Omnitrix for needing a recharge at a time like this.

Carter turned to Ship. "I don't suppose you can get us home," she said affectionately. Even though Ship had technically hurt her and kidnapped her, she was warming up to it. It wasn't like he had had malicious intentions.

Instead of answering, a truck came by, distracting them. Carter started yelling and waving her arms to grab the driver's attention, while Ben did his best imitation of a taxi cab whistle. Ship started jumping up and down since that looked like the best thing to do for now. But the truck passed them without a second thought, leaving the three of them in the dust.

"Ship, ship," Ship started bleating, crawling as fast as he could towards the truck and away from Ben and Carter.

"So much for bonding," Ben joked as Ship crawled out of sight.

Carter sighed. Now would be a real good time to show Ben _that_. "Take off your jacket."

"What?"

"Just do it." Ben slowly took off his favorite jacket, all the while looking at Carter with confusion. "You do know that Slayers can fly, right?" Carter asked him. Ben's eyes widened. She smirked. "Yeah, you can do it too. It's easy." Carter walked around Ben and lightly touched the middle of his back. Ben could feel electricity course through his body because of that, and his heart began to pound.

"Just calm down and only think about wings," Carter ordered her voice soft and hypnotic. Ben closed his eyes and forced his heart to slow down. He imagined flying like Jetray, or maybe like an eagle. After thinking about the eagle, Ben felt something heavy attached to his back. He opened his eyes and looked to his left.

A blue devil wing as large as he was, with green fraying the edges. To his right, an angel wing with blue feather with the very tip dipped in green. Ben stared at them in awe for a moment before completely unfurling them and lifting off.

It was simply amazing how easy it was to fly in the night sky. He knew instinctively that the slightest tip to the left made him veer off in that direction, or that flapping his wings would give him powerful air, and that thermals were like the ultimate rollercoaster. The night air chilled his skin and his eyes watered due to the wind in his eyes.

Ben had never felt so _alive_ before. Not even using the Omnitrix gave him this feeling.

A sharp whistle snapped Ben out of his reverie. He stopped flying and flapped his wings to keep him in mid air. Carter flew up to him, her black and blue wings nearly invisible in the sky. She was holding Ben's jacket in her arms- he must have dropped earlier- and she had a knowing smile on her face.

"How does it feel to fly without using some device?" she asked him, raising her voice over the howl of the wind.

"Incredible!" Ben whooped, joy lighting up his eyes. His mood was infectious. As the two of them flew back into town, they laughed and did tricks in mid air, drunk on their strange and glorious freedom.

* * *

><p><em>I did say Ship would have a new owner. He won't be mentioned for a while though. Shame; I like him.<em>


	15. In Which Ben Trains With Phineas

Chapter 15: In Which Ben Trains With Phineas

_Ooh, lookit, a brand new chapter a week early! Y'all better be happy about that. I had to work my ass off to get this up so early. I doubt it'll happen again._

_Before I forget: next chapter's author's note is gonna be awesome. So don't forget to read it!_

* * *

><p>Ben had another vision while he was flying in midair.<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>Where are you taking me?" Ben asked nervously. Carter shushed him and led the way through the forest. They were at the outskirts of Bellwood for some reason; Carter had coerced Ben into going with her to see something cool. So far, she wasn't coughing up any information.<em>

_It was about a month after their first meeting, and they were on the fast track to becoming friends, though Carter didn't like admitting it. She had changed attitudes since then, from a cold, sarcastic girl to a somewhat warm and friendly person._

"_We're almost there!" Carter called out to Ben, who groaned audibly. They were going up a steep hill now, much to Ben's chagrin. Why Carter wouldn't let him change into Stink Fly or XLR8 to speed things up was beyond him. Despite the complaining, Ben followed her all the way up the grassy hill._

_When Carter reached the top, she turned around and waited for Ben to come up. Ben, who was tired and sweaty from hiking in the woods, was taking his sweet time catching up. Carter waited patiently, though, and when Ben finally walked up to her, she smiled._

"_There's something you have to see," she said, not tired from the trek at all._

_"Why can't you just tell me what it is?" Ben whined, but Carter just grabbed his arm and led him from the trail. _

_"Close your eyes," she ordered. Ben groaned again, but complied. She led him a little ways before stopping. "Okay, open your eyes."_

"_Finally!" Ben huffed as he opened them. What he saw before him sucked the breath out of him. They were on a grassy cliff with clumps of wild forest flowers here and there. The cliff overlooked the entire city of Bellwood, all the streets and buildings that weren't hidden from the afternoon sun's glare. Ben could even see the road that led out of Bellwood into the desert._

"_Whoa," was all Ben needed to say. _

_"It's even more beautiful at night," Carter said next to him, "what with all the lights." _

_Ben turned to look at her. "How'd you find this place?" _

_She shrugged. "I heard about it from my grandparents. My parents used to meet up here all the time when they were teenagers."_

_Carter walked towards the edge of the cliff. Ben would have called out to warn her, but he had seen her fly. She would have no problem here. "Ben, come up here!" She gestured to him. Ben walked up to her, confused._

"_Have you ever wanted to fly without the Omnitrix?" Carter asked him seriously. _

_"Well, yeah," Ben answered honestly. _

_"Close your eyes," she ordered again, and he did. He felt her touch his spine and it sent a jolt through his body. Then she let go, and there was something heavy on his back. Before Ben could ask, Carter shoved him hard, and he fell off the cliff._

* * *

><p>"WAKE UP!"<p>

Ben opened his eyes in time to see himself plummeting to the ground. He spread his wings and flapped quickly, just in time; he was about to hit a building and splatter his remains on the roof. He stayed roughly in the same place, constricting his wings slightly and flapping them repeatedly as he calmed down and got his bearings.

Carter caught up to him, doing the same exact movements with her wings. "What was that?" she asked worriedly.

Ben rubbed his eyes. "It was another vision. We were on a cliff… you pushed me off a cliff!" He pointed an accusing finger at her.

"You had wings!" Carter protested. "And besides, you forgot about that when you were flying for the first time in your life." Carter refused to say anything more, and crossed her arms to emphasize that.

Ben eyed her suspiciously. "You're seriously not going to tell me more about these visions." He didn't bother to ask anymore.

"No." Carter stared at him defiantly, because she really wouldn't. Ben sighed in defeat.

"Fine, let's just go to my house before my curfew." He stretched his wings to their full size and flew upward, leaving Carter to follow.

The vision was forgotten for the moment, because Ben was really enjoying the feeling of flying. Some innate part of him knew how to fly, knew that it loved the wind on his face and the feeling of running his fingers in puffy, white clouds. How could Ben possibly forget this?

Soon, Ben could see his neighborhood and eventually his house. He swooped down and landed softly, his wings folding and disappearing into his back. "How do they do that?" he asked as Carter landed.

As her wings disappeared, she said, "I don't know, but it's convenient."

"Yeah," Ben agreed as his knees buckled. Exhaustion roared from every muscle and bone in his body, like he had just run a marathon without any training. Ben had trouble keeping his eyes open, and he barely registered Carter's arms around him as she caught him.

"This happens to everyone who flies for the first time," she explained. "You haven't used your wings in years, and you traveled a long distance too. I'm surprised you actually did it." Ben slowly stood up with Carter's help. He had to use every ounce of his will power to keep himself from collapsing.

"I had fun tonight," Carter admitted softly. Ben looked to see her smiling sincerely. "I think I'll see you tomorrow," she said.

"What's happening tomorrow?" Ben asked.

"If I'm right, you're going to train for the first time," Carter answered. "I'm not sure, though."

Carter could see that Ben couldn't take much more of this, so she gave him a little kiss on the cheek and said, "Later!" She ran away from him, jumped, and her wings sprouted from her back. Ben watched as she flew away, feeling the spot where Carter's soft lips touched his face. His fatigue forgotten, Ben threw his fist in the air in victory and turned around to run into his house.

* * *

><p>Carter finally got home around eleven, completely exhausted. Flying from the Pier to Ben's house was hard enough, but then going to her own home? She should have called someone to pick her up.<p>

But the night had been really nice, at least until Ship. Carter couldn't believe she had been afraid of a machine, unable to use her powers just because of it. But then again, machines weren't capable of mercy; they merely did their job to the T. Humans could feel mercy though. They were easier to bargain with, if they hadn't suppressed their emotions. Carter knew that with enough compassion, she could convince people not to hurt or kill her. It was just simple logic.

And Carter really should have paid more attention when Cordelia was explaining all the functions of the Plumbers badges. But it had been a warm day and it was after lunch, and she had been feeling really sleepy inside Isaac's study. It had been a challenge to stay awake really.

That reminded her of Ben. How was he holding up now? No doubt he was sleeping like a rock right now. Carter remembered how Ben had felt back when they were ten, after he learned to fly the first time. He had been using muscles he hadn't used before, and he nearly collapsed when he landed on the ground and folded his wings away. It would take some getting used to.

Carter was about to fall asleep when the memory of her kissing Ben suddenly popped up. _What the fuck, brain? _She thought angrily as she felt her face heat up.

Carter thought of herself as having a complex character. She played the role of the obedient granddaughter to Cordelia, completing jobs that she sent out for loads of cash. That was why Carter was so driven to finish a job; money helped her through the psychological pain. Every now and then Carter would have a nightmare that included all the people she killed. It didn't matter if they were a bad guy. All she saw was a bloody corpse with her standing over it, coldly looking over it like it wasn't even there. That was why Carter seethed inwardly whenever a new job came up. The nightmares, though rare, really freaked her out.

But Carter was good at bottling up her emotions. That way she could do her duties as Aquaria's vessel without snapping, like a good little girl. Or, at least she was until she liked someone. Then she would become bold and say what she really felt. Maybe that was why Carter dated a lot when she was growing up; to let go of all the emotions she was holding back.

But the guys Carter usually dated expected her to be exactly what they saw: an aloof yet obedient person. She had a tendency to date Slayer boys, who grew up seeing her as a dutiful vessel to Aquaria. They never thought of her as a real person, only as some faraway goddess they could look at but never touch (that was Evan's description of her, anyway). Maybe that was why nearly all of Carter's relationships ended quickly. They never expected her to take the first initiative, thinking that Sam was supposed to be the wild one, when the opposite was true.

But Carter wanted to be the one who wanted to make out instead of talk, to fool around whenever she and her guy were alone. Was that so wrong? According to her ex-boyfriends, it was, or at least they weren't used to it. On the plus side, Slayer boys rarely kissed and told people, so there were no nasty rumors circulating about Carter being a slut. Not that anyone would even think to believe it, since Carter was _so_ important and dutiful (oooh, the sarcasm was so thick a chainsaw could cut through it. Where was Sam when Carter needed her?).

But what really worried Carter was Ben. Would he like that in a girl? She had been loud and sarcastic even back when they were kids, so maybe. But things could have changed in the last five years, so maybe Ben wanted a recessive girlfriend who didn't get dirty jokes or laughed at them or looked innocent and scared when he suggested taking things to the next level.

Then again, Ben was pretty stupid when it came to girls. Maybe it would be better if Carter did all that. That way Ben wouldn't have to decide if Carter wanted him to kiss her and fear messing things up between them.

For some reason, Carter liked that idea, or at least liked it well enough to go to sleep with a smile on her face.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Wake up.<strong>_

_I don't wanna._

_**Damn teenager. WAKE UP!**_

For the second time that week, Ben had been rudely awakened from his comfortable nap. Only this time Ben was safely in his bed and not about to crash into a building with an uncomfortable _splat._

Ben slowly got up and groaned when his bones creaked painfully. He had been able to shower and change into clean boxers and a t-shirt before his body finally gave out on his bed. Ben had no idea that flying would be so exhausting. He looked at the clock; ten in the morning. Pretty late for a Sunday, even for Ben. At least this time Ben had done all of his homework on Friday. It had felt weird, but now he didn't have anything to worry about.

Except for training with Phineas. Didn't Carter say she didn't know for sure? She hadn't said she was going to call… Ben decided to get ready, just in case. He put on clean clothes, combed his hair, and went downstairs to find nobody in the house. He went into the kitchen to see a note on the table: his mother was visiting a friend. Ben could vaguely hear the sounds of a lawn mower outside. He looked out the window to see his dad mowing the lawn.

Ben grabbed himself a bowl of cereal and began to eat breakfast. After about ten minutes, his phone rang upstairs. Abandoning his dishes in the sink, he raced up to see Carter's name on the ID. "H-hello?" he gasped.

"I think I have good news," Carter said, sounding a bit anxious.

"What do you mean?" Ben asked.

"Phineas has agreed to train you, and everything's been set up." She stopped there, unsure whether she should continue.

"Am I meeting up at your place?"

"No, you're going to the Carmichael manor." The mansion was in Sterling Hills, not too far from Carter's place, actually. Ben would have to get there by himself, though. Ben pocketed his phone after the call, grabbed his jacket and went to the kitchen. Grabbing a pen and paper from a cabinet, he quickly wrote out a plausible lie, explaining his absence for the day. Then he was out the back door, his Omnitrix set at Jetray.

* * *

><p>Ben saw the house soon enough. It was large like all the mansions in Sterling Hills, with a brown roof and red brick walls. There was a black fence surrounding the house, with a long, narrow driveway coming up to it. Ben landed on the front steps and changed back into human. He rang the doorbell and waited.<p>

After what seemed like forever, the front door opened into a large, circular lobby with a staircase in the middle. Ben could see the stairs leading into a white hallway, but that was it.

"Who the hell are you?" an unfriendly voice from Ben's left said. He turned to see a boy around his age, with blond hair, blue eyes, and a hateful sneer on his pretty face. He was wearing clean skinny jeans with a white shirt, like he was trying to be casual.

"Ben Tennyson. You?" Ben responded.

"Ezekiel Carmichael. Now what are you doing in my house?" Ezekiel's sneer got even wider when he gave Ben a once over.

That irked Ben. "I'm going to train with Phineas," he replied annoyed. The sneer dropped from Ezekiel's face for a moment before being replaced completely with a scowl.

"That's impossible. Phineas is busy working today."

Ben didn't believe him. "Really? Because I got a call from Carter-" Ezekiel sucked in a breath and glared at Ben with utmost hatred. The venom on his face forced Ben to not instinctively take a step back.

"_You're_ the vessel for Ventus?" Something told Ben his relative couldn't believe that.

"Uh, yeah," he said, rolling his eyes. "Didn't anyone tell you?"

"So, what, now you think that just because you've got a god in your head you can just waltz into someone's house and lord over people?"

"No! Where did that even come from?"

"'Cause you-"

"Ezekiel!" boomed a voice from Ben's right. It was a young-looking man wearing a black flannel suit and a blue tie. His blond hair was wavy and thick and he had an authentic-looking surfer's tan. He looked like a serious version of Ventus.

"What is wrong with you, Zeke?" Phineas shook his head. "You see your cousin for the very first time and you try to tear out his throat? Your mother raised you better than that." Ezekiel tried to say something, but Phineas shot him down. "Go." Ben's cousin gave him a withering look before stomping up the stairs. Ben watched him go before staring at Phineas. Phineas stared back. "If you've got something to say, say it now."

"Why haven't I heard from you before now? Why hasn't anyone told me about this side of my family? And what the hell is that guy's problem?" Ben pointed up the stairs where Zeke had gone.

"One, I wanted to, but after that incident it was decided that no one would contact you until you were older. Two, I assume that Sandra must have told you, but you've forgotten. I haven't seen you since you were a child; naturally you would forget about the Carmichael family. And three…" Phineas shook his head. "Before you were ten, Zeke was the family favorite. Everyone thought he would be Ventus's vessel, but then you came along and people stopped acting like he was special. He's hated you ever since."

Phineas cocked his head to the side. "I thought you would be angrier at me."

Ben shrugged his shoulders. "I know I should be, but Isaac explained everything, and I can't really blame you."

Phineas raised an eyebrow. "How pragmatic of you. Now come along, we have to start your training."

* * *

><p>They were in the basement which, according to Phineas, had been converted into a time pocket. "Basically, hours pass by in here, but outside it's only been a few minutes," he explained as he took off his jacket, revealing a fancy blue button down shirt. "We don't have a lot of time until the High Breeds invade, and you can't always rely on the Omnitrix, so this seemed like the best solution. So, you've had more training than experience, I presume."<p>

"Well, yeah," Ben said, still reeling over the fact that they were disconnected from time.

"This will be easy then." Before Ben could react, a bolt of lightning was aimed at his head. With a yell of fright, Ben dodged to the side just as the lightning bolt hit the ground. An explosion was heard, and a small crater was left. The air in the basement smelled like ozone, and Phineas was holding a ball of yellow electricity in the palm of his hand.

"What the hell?" Ben cried out when he got his voice back.

"I figured you would be more used to something like this instead of martial arts training," Phineas answered calmly, like he hadn't just tried to kill his nephew. "Remember, you can't use the Omnitrix. Force the power right out of you." And Phineas shot at him again, a crackling ball of electricity aimed at Ben's head, flying at lightning speed. Ben dodged again and just barely landed safely before he had to dodge again.

Already dodging three bolts and Ben was running out of steam. He had no idea what to do. This wasn't like with the Omnitrix, where he could experiment with the alien. If Ben didn't figure out how to use his powers, he could seriously die.

At the mention of the word _die, _something reacted inside Ben, something he rarely felt. It was pure, undiluted fear. Ben had always been afraid for someone else, like his cousin or his family or, more recently, Carter. He was afraid that he couldn't protect them, save them from danger like a hero. But Ben had never once considered that he could need saving. He never had to thanks to the Omnitrix. But now he couldn't even use that.

Ben was in serious danger, and no one could help him except himself.

After dodging the last bolt, Ben jumped up. He could feel air pooling under him, keeping him afloat and propelling him upward. He willed energy into his hand- he didn't know if this would work, he had never done it before- and as soon as he heard a crackle of electricity in his hand, Ben flung the ball at Phineas. It was the size of a softball-Ben didn't even know he had it in him. Phineas's eyes widened and he crossed his arms in front of him. The explosion knocked Ben to the ground, the air no longer keeping a safe cushion under his feet. He must have hit his head, because he was slipping in and out of consciousness.

He didn't see the end of the explosion, how Phineas had absorbed the lightning into himself. The amount of power in that attack was pretty damn impressive; even the trajectory was incredible. Considering the amount of time Ben had to figure it out and the amount of stress he was under, it was simply mind blowing. And now Ben was unconscious, from the attack or from the impact when he hit the ground, Phineas didn't know.

The Omnitrix must have helped Ben. Ben was all experience and very little training. All the aliens he had faced, all the situations he was forced into because of that thing, it must have taught him to keep calm under intense pressure, to not panic when his life was in danger. It might have even given him an edge when it came to using his powers.

Looking over his unconscious form, Phineas told his grandson, "You are a frightening child, Benjamin."

* * *

><p>Ben woke up feeling like he had been hit by a ton of bricks. For a second there he thought Kevin was behind it, but then he remembered the training with Phineas. Ben shot up to a sitting position and immediately regretted it. Pain coursed through his body like adrenaline, and his head felt like it was going to explode.<p>

"Glad to see you're awake," said Phineas. Ben slowly swiveled his head to see his grandfather on the other side of the room, smoking half a cigarette. He took it out to say, "'Bout time too. This is my second one. Anymore and Isaac would be on my case."

"You tried to kill me," Ben croaked out finally, having difficulty standing up.

Phineas took a long drag before answering. "I knew that you have been put in life-or-death situations without any training before. I merely did what you were most comfortable with."

"Whoever said I was comfortable with that?"

"Okay, fine, scratch that last part. I merely did what you were used to. Happy?"

"…Not really."

Phineas sighed as he stubbed out his cigarette. "At least now we know you can use that power with the Omnitrix on. Now you have to learn how to control it. Have you ever seen Sam conduct lightning?"

Ben thought back to the Morningstar incident. "Yes."

"As you know, there are four elements, and one of them is your exact opposite. That's earth. You can't use any power that's earth-based, it's impossible. But you can use anything that's air, water, or fire-based. You following me?"

"So far," Ben said. He was starting to feel less zapped by now.

"Good. Now that means that you can create lightning, which if basically fire, and create small bursts of fog or mist, which has water particles. Right now we're going to be working on your lightning control, so that means learning some special martial arts specifically for it. Ready?"

"Not like I have a choice."

"You always have a choice, Ben. Remember that. Now the first thing you do is spread your legs-don't give me that look, you pervert!" Phineas glared at Ben.

"I'm a teenage boy!" Ben protested.

"And a very immature one at that. Now spread your legs, like a stance…"

* * *

><p>After what seemed like hours, Ben was finally able to conduct lightning. His pride did crumble when it was only a pitiful spark instead of the impressive blast from before.<p>

"You're just tired," Phineas said reassuringly. "At least we know you _can_ do it."

This did not reassure Ben.

"Now we're going to work on the martial arts specifically for wind users such as yourself," Phineas instructed. "Baguazhang is all about circular motions, like circle walking. It's about flexibility and proper body alignment, and uses a wide variety of techniques such as strikes from the palm, fist, elbow, and fingers, and also kicks, joint locks, throws, and evasive circular footwork. Since your just beginning, we'll start with flexibility and proper body alignment."

Ben shrugged, too exhausted to do much else. "Seems easy enough."

"That's what you think."

* * *

><p>Phineas was right. By the time he said Ben was done for today, he had to call in a stretcher to get his grandson out of the time pocket. He was slipping into unconsciousness, but he could feel someone carrying up the stairs, stripping him of every article of clothing on his person, and finally putting him into something that felt like water, but smelled like herbs and cough syrup. The smell was odd, but somehow comforting. He was asleep in seconds.<p>

When Ben awoke, he was still in the liquid. From the dim lighting, he could see that it was beige colored, and really was the viscosity of water. He somehow felt energized, the pain inflicted on him and the exhaustion he felt afterwards simply gone. He reached out in front of him and figured that he was laying down in a metal tub with foggy glass over it. There was plenty of oxygen, but it didn't stop Ben from panicking.

He heard a whirring sound, and the medicinal liquid covering him began to drain away from an unseen drainage hole. The glass cover over him began to clear up and recede from the side, and Ben slowly got out of the tub. He was in a dimly lit room with titanium walls and pipes running through the ceiling, somewhat visible to Ben. He looked to his sides and noticed other tubs exactly like his, all made out of gray metal with a thick glass covering over them. There was a table with Ben's clothes and a white towel on it next to his tub, so Ben toweled himself dry and quickly put on his clothes. They smelled nice and were warm, like they were recently laundered.

When Ben was done, he noticed a lone titanium door to his right, so Ben walked up to it and was glad when it slid open. He walked out of that room, bumping right in to Carter.

"Carter! Man, am I glad to see you!" Ben cried out, relieved.

Carter smiled at him. "Sorry I couldn't be here earlier. I found out this morning that Cordelia made me an unwilling guinea pig for one of her pharmaceutical experiments."

"Is that even legal?"

"Well, the results are great and there have been no side effects so far, and there's a sum of money in my bank account because of it…"

"So, I take that as a yes?"

Carter waved a dismissive hand and began to walk down the hallway. "So how was training?" Ben groaned loudly. "That bad, huh?" Carter sighed. "I figured Phineas would work you to the bone, especially because of the time pocket."

"How long was I in there, anyway?"

"On this side, an hour."

"S-seriously?" Ben spluttered as the hallway ended to the main entrance where Ben first entered. Phineas was there with someone who looked very important. He noticed the two teens in the room, and gave Ben a wink and a smile. Phineas then directed the important looking man to the left doorway, leaving the kids in peace.

Ben looked around the room. "What, no Zeke to say good bye?" he joked.

This time Carter groaned. "Oh, God, did he accuse you of stealing his glory?"

"No, but he did say I wasn't special. What's his problem, anyway? I heard a little from Phineas, but…"

Carter sighed. "Zeke thinks that if he was the vessel, he would automatically become the family star and have all of the attention, have Evan as a best friend, Sam as a bodyguard, and me as his girlfriend."

Ben gave a low whistle. "Doesn't look like he wants out of the spotlight, huh?"

"No, and we hated him for it." Ben assumed 'we' was Carter, Sam, and Evan. "He always wants the spotlight; it's like he can't live without it. And he was a major jerk back when we were kids. That's why we were overjoyed when we found out you were Ventus's vessel."

"…You didn't rub it in his face, did you?"

Carter looked at him sheepishly.

"No wonder he hates me!"

"He had it coming!" Carter protested.

"Yeah, whatever," Ben dismissed. He gestured towards the front door. "So, what happens now?"

Carter thought for a moment. "We could call up the gang and have band practice. We haven't done that in a while."

"I don't have my guitar with me."

"Do you want to use subspace?"

Ben smiled.

* * *

><p><em>Remember, the next AN is gonna be great. I have something written that'll probably scare you.<em>


	16. Le Super Special Author's Note

Chapter 16: Le Super Special Author's Note

_A lone female was sitting in a dark, empty bedroom, typing at a laptop. The glare from the screen was hurting her eyes, but she didn't dare turn on the lights._

_She clicked on the most popular site for Fan Fiction and quickly typed the password for WinterComa's profile. The Fangirl hurriedly looked at the closed door while the page loaded, sweat rolling down her temple. Any minute now..._

_She clicked on Doc Manager and loaded the next chapter for Ben 10: The Slayer Chronicles. The Fangirl quickly read the first half of the story and began to salivate. Forgetting all pretense of discreetness, The Fangirl yelled out in a valley girl voice, "OMG! Ben and Kevin shirtless! EEEEEE!"_

_After the scream, The Fangirl began to have ideas. "Why make it a BenxOC story or a KevinXOC story? Why not Bevin, or Gwevin or Benlie? I have to change this."_

_But before she could, a metal bat hit her left temple, knocking her to the ground. She shrieked with pain and tried to grab her wound, but she was too disoriented. She could vaguely make out the figure before her: a brunette with glasses wearing a Skillet band t-shirt and jeans with a bloody metal baseball bat over her shoulder._

_Shit. WinterComa._

_The authoress hit the Fangirl again, aiming for the head and legs as the villain tried to escape. "Nobody fucks with my story! I don't care if you don't like the pairings; IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T READ IT!"_

_With one last cry, Winter bashed the Fangirl's head in, silencing her cries. Winter breathed heavily as her inner fangirl slowly faded away back to the abyss in Winter's mind. "Why won't she go away?" Winter muttered as she dropped the bloody, battered bat. Wiping the blood off her hands with a tissue, she examined Chapter 16 of her Ben 10 story. She sighed, relieved. Nothing had been changed. With calm fingers, Winter began to type the Author's Note._

_To guest reviewer Calvin: No, I did not get Carter's name from Victorious's Cat Valentine. It's a complete coincidence. I always loved the name Carter on a girl, and I thought people would accuse me of ripping off the Blue Bloods series if her last name was Van Alen. So I chose Valentine, since it was close enough._

_Enough about that. On with the show!_

* * *

><p>Gwen needed some serious cheering up.<p>

She had cried when her grandfather died-well, that was to be expected. She was sad about it for a week afterwards until Evan tried to cheer to her. Gwen smiled as she remembered the day before the tennis match.

_Gwen stared down at her pink phone, which was lighting up and vibrating-a call was coming in. She didn't recognize the number, which was why she was staring at it strangely. She answered anyway._

"_Hey, Gwen, can you open your front door?" said a very familiar voice on the other end. It took Gwen a minute to connect the dots. _

_"Evan? Why do you have my number? W-why do you know where I live?"_

"_Ben."_

"…_I'm going to kill him."_

"_But he's so entertaining," Evan protested, his voice becoming loud and overdramatic. Gwen snorted as she moved from the kitchen to the front door where, as promised, Evan was, holding his green phone to his ear. He smiled and shut his cell phone off. "Are you going to invite me in?"_

_Gwen shut off her own cell phone and shrugged. "I guess." Evan walked inside, doing the involuntary look-see of the house. He walked into the plush living room where he nearly drooled over the giant plasma screen TV._

"_Evan," Gwen said, snapping him out of it. "Why are you here?"_

"_I figured you needed some cheering up," he said. "And what better way to do that than with my sparkling personality?" Gwen rolled her eyes; and here she thought Evan was different from Ben. Evan spied the calculus book on the coffee table. Gwen had felt claustrophobic in her room and had decided to do her homework in the living room. That had been happening a lot, since…_

"_You're taking calculus at fifteen?" Evan asked, saving Gwen from tearing up again. _

_"Well, yeah," she answered back. "Why do you ask?" _

_"Back at my old high school, we could take pre-calc at senior year to prepare us for college," Evan explained. "Or earlier, if you were smart enough. I've never really met anyone my own age actually doing this."_

_So that was why. "I like math, that's all." _

_Evan opened his mouth anime style. "Did we just become best friends?"_

"…_Over math?"_

"_Well, duh, it's like superglue!" In a flash, Evan had looped his arm through Gwen's. "Come on, bestie, let's do some math!" Thankfully for Gwen, they had stayed in the living room. Evan was actually really good at math; he had been able to understand when Gwen explained a problem to him, and he kept her entertain with his zany behavior. By the time Evan had to go, she was gasping for breath, and her eyes were watering from laughter. Just before he went out the door, he asked, _

_"You doing anything tomorrow?" Gwen shook her head, still having trouble breathing. "Well, there's a tennis match…"_

"_There's a girl involved, isn't there?"_

_Evan put his hands to his heart. "You know me so well. But seriously, you need to get out of the house. Some fresh air and watching people play sports will be good for you."_

"_You just want someone there so you don't look like a creep."_

"_Why do you accuse me so?" Evan moaned as he dramatically walked out the door. Gwen gave another laugh and waved goodbye._

Funny; Evan had left just before Gwen's parents came home for the day. But Gwen didn't dwell on that. Evan was a really good guy, and his quirks made him interesting to hang out with. That was all that mattered.

But a week had passed since then, and all Gwen seemed to think about was school and Max. She didn't smile much anymore and, while it was understandable, it made the others uneasy.

Ben proposed an idea.

* * *

><p>Gwen was in her new white bikini (which she had may or may not had bought for Kevin; even she didn't know) watching Kevin and Ben duke it out with their alien powers. But all she could think about was why Ben looked like a seafood platter.<p>

When Ben was about to lay it into Kevin, she turned around and looked at the lake her grandpa used to frequent. Why had Ben wanted to come here, of all places? She had so many memories with her grandpa here… What, was she supposed to get some sort of closure or something?

"It's my fault," she heard Ben whisper to Kevin, their fight apparently over. Yeah, it was, even if had good intentions. "I thought bringing her here would cheer her up."

"This is Grandpa Max's secret fishing rock," Gwen started to explain. "He used to come out here all the time, when he wasn't travelling."

"You mean when he was away on Plumber business," Kevin said.

"We didn't know it at the time," Gwen protested softly. "Once, when I was five, he brought me out here and I caught a teeny, tiny fish." Gwen showed them how tiny it was. "It was too small, so Grandpa wanted to throw it back, but I put up a big fuss. It was my fish, you know? After a while, Grandpa finally convinced me to come back when it was bigger." Gwen finally stood up, feeling a whole lot better since she got here. "I guess I always had a hard time letting go."

Ben thought he heard something and turned his head to the right. He saw a cloaked figure slowly creep towards an old tree not far from where he was. "Who's that?" he asked his friends, like they had the answers. They looked at where he was looking at.

"For a secret place, it gets a lot of traffic," Kevin remarked as the figure knelt down and laid a flower at the end of the tree.

"Have you ever seen a flower like that?" Gwen asked the guys. The flower was yellow, but outlined in a familiar pink color.

Kevin, wanting answers, yelled out, "HEY! YOU IN THE CLOAK!" Startled, the figure stood up and looked at them. The three of them immediately ran down the rocks towards the cloaked figure, but with a playful cackle, the figure slipped behind the tree and disappeared in a flash of pink light.

They looked behind the tree, but couldn't find a trace of her. "That woman just disappeared!" Ben stated the obvious.

"Teleporter, maybe?" Kevin said, saying a very plausible answer.

"What was she doing?" Gwen asked the million dollar question. Ben walked up the giant tree and saw the wooden heart carving in the middle of it.

"Max plus Verdona," Ben said out loud. "Who's Verdona?"

Gwen looked down to see the flower the woman had left behind. She picked it up and said, "Maybe I can track her with this." Her eyes glowed bright pink as well as the flower, but before Gwen could get a lock on the woman's location, the flower wilted. "I really thought I had that move down," Gwen said, disappointed with herself.

Ben knelt down. "That's not the first flower she left here," he said, pointing out the yellow and pink flowers that had wilted over the years.

"So what now?" Kevin asked, impatient as ever. "We can't just wait for her to come back."

Ben smiled.

* * *

><p>It was nighttime, about two days later. Ever since they first saw the woman, they had decided to stake out Grandpa Max's fishing rock, along with the Pride, even though they protested.<p>

"Why do I have to do this?" Carter complained over the Ben's cell phone. She was in the forest, staking it out, since she was good at that.

"Because the Pride has to get along with us," Ben said almost triumphantly, because that wasn't the only reason why Carter had relented. Ben had done the unthinkable: he had given her watery, puppy-dog eyes, and she blushed and eventually agreed. Score one for Tennyson.

Carter sighed. "You're an idiot, you know that?"

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?"

"'Cause you are one, you idiot!" Carter hung up, leaving Ben with two intrigued friends to answer to.

"What's going on?" Gwen asked innocently.

"She called me an idiot for believing she'll come tonight," Ben said, talking about the cloaked lady.

Kevin snorted. "She's right." Ben stuck his tongue out at him.

"This is crazy," Kevin complained. "She didn't show last night, and she won't show tonight."

"Humor me," Ben said, before they all lapsed into silence.

And then Gwen said, "I have to use the restroom."

"Plenty of trees."

"Classy," Gwen told Kevin sarcastically. "There's a gas station a mile back," Ben said helpfully. "You can use that."

"Thanks." Gwen got out of the car and walked away, leaving Kevin alone with Ben.

But not for long, since Ben got a call from Carter just then. "Cloaked weirdo coming to the tree," was all she said. Ben looked at said tree and saw that she was right. Without a second thought, the boys got out of the car and walked up to the cloaked lady.

The lady's hands were glowing and raised slightly, and a single flower beneath her was glowing as well. "How do you know Max Tennyson?" Ben demanded to know. Kevin was behind him, ready to fight if need be. The Pride (decked out in their work outfits) was beside him, having used shadow travel to get there so quickly.

When the lady didn't answer, Kevin walked up to her and pulled down her hood, revealing an aged crone with gray hair styled old-fashionably. "Talk," was all Kevin said.

The old lady smiled. "What rotten kids." She raised a glowing pink hand and said, "Go away."

A pink blast shot Ben and Kevin away, but the Pride had dodged just in time. They were about to land on top of the old lady, but she disappeared, using her strange teleportation powers again.

She appeared again, this time hovering off the ground. She grinned wickedly as the old lady used her powers to hover quickly away from the others. It was like she was baiting them to come after her.

Ben got up then and turned into Jetray, trying to match Crazy Lady's speed. Kevin ran back to his car and absorbed the metal, encasing himself in green metal. Sam, who had used shadow travel again, came up to him. "Be careful with her," she warned. "Evan thinks he knows who she is. We have to keep her conscious." Kevin looked at her strangely, but the shadows surrounding Sam enveloped her again, and she disappeared.

Crazy Lady was over the lake, her feet skimming the water as she flew over it. Jetray shot a laser at her, but she dodged to the left. Unfortunately for her, Carter was there at full strength. Tendrils of water circled around her, and with a flick of her wrists they shot at Crazy Lady, acting like ropes as they bound her in mid-air. Before Crazy Lady could get out of this mess, Carter froze the water around her, locking her in icy binds.

Never wanting to be outdone, Evan used shadow travel to land on a rock in the lake. The earth underneath them trembled, and spirals of rock shot out of the ground under the water. Evan made a fist, and the earth spirals encircled Crazy Lady like a box, cutting off her escape.

Carter was about to high-five Evan when the earth box exploded in a blast of pink light, knocking them both away from Crazy Lady. They landed in the water, the impact slapping them and making them hurt like a _bitch_.

"Not bad," Crazy Lady congratulated them, not that they could hear it, being underwater and all. "A shame it had to end so soon." Jetray suddenly shot a laser at her, and she sped away from the scene as fast as she could.

Crazy Lady looked back at Jetray, who was tailing her. "Ooh, a chase. I haven't had a good chase in _ages_." She swerved to the left, and Jetray flew up into the air to shoot at her again. She went off the lake and back on dry land, where Kevin and Sam were waiting. When Jetray shot a large green laser at her that created a medium sized crater in the earth,

Crazy Lady was laughing, hovering backwards from the acrid smoke. She slammed into an impatient Kevin, who grabbed her arms and said, "Answers, lady."

Sam had one of her broadswords out and tucked the blade under Crazy Lady's chin. "Don't try anything funny. We're done playing."

She looked at Sam and said, "Not until I put my toys away, sweetie." Pink tendrils shot out her, going around Kevin's arms and tightening them so he had to let the crazy lady go. A pink laser shot Sam in the stomach, forcing her to bend forward as the impact sent her skidding away, her broadsword still in her hand.

"Sam!" Kevin called out as the pink tendrils clamped around his waist, lifting him up into the air, and throwing him into the lake. He somersaulted in midair, his metal head hitting the ground twice, right before his entire body slammed against a giant rock.

Jetray, the only one still strong enough to fight, swooped down before Crazy Lady. "Who _are_ you?" he asked. Crazy Lady smiled and her eyes glowed pink. A pink orb of energy was around Jetray's tail, growing larger and more dangerous at each passing second. In desperation, Jetray shot green lasers out of his eyes, causing the orb to explode. Jetray's body fell from the explosion. Kevin, his green metal armor still on him, was standing up when Jetray crashed into him, causing an explosion of water and rock to surround them. When it died down, it showed Kevin against the rock, his armor gone, and Ben on top of him, his Omnitrix out of energy and him barely conscious.

Crazy Lady hovered over them, relishing in their despair. "This world would be a lot more tolerable without troublemaking imps like you getting in my way." She raised her hands, which were glowing pink.

In one last act of defiance, Kevin smirked and said, "Yeah? Show us whatcha got."

With one sweep of her hand, Crazy Lady shot some sort of laser at them, which would have killed them both had there not been a small shield surrounding the two boys. When Kevin uncovered his eyes, he saw Crazy Lady looking at them in shock.

Ben had gathered enough strength to get off of Kevin at that point. Crazy Lady was still looking at the two of them in shock. "Can't I leave you guys alone for five minutes?" Gwen demanded to know. Crazy Lady looked at the young girl on land, her hands surrounded by pink energy.

"Do that again," Crazy Lady told her.

"Why not?" Gwen said, throwing pink lasers at her. With a sweep of her hands, Crazy Lady absorbed them. "Incredible."

"Just who do you think you are, littering my grandpa's cove with your flowers?" Gwen demanded, hands on her small hips. Ben, Kevin, and the Pride were standing next to her, most of them sopping wet from their fights.

"You mean, flowers that she makes out of energy," Evan said, Kevin holding up one of them. Both of them had come to the same conclusion when Kevin told him about the flowers. That was why Kevin had looked at Sam like that earlier; he already had his suspicions, he didn't need to reminded.

"No way," was all Gwen said after she absorbed the news. Ben looked at his cousin and Crazy Lady, utterly shocked.

Crazy Lady, with a jovial smile on her smile, walked up to Gwen. "Did you say Max was your grandfather?"

Gwen nodded. "Kiddo!" Verdona shouted happily, hugging her long-lost granddaughter.

"Um, he was my grandfather too," Ben said, wanting in on the attention. Verdona looked at her grandson.

"Really?" she asked. "Can you project energy like your sister?"

"Cousin," Ben corrected her, "and no."

"Shame," Verdona said before turning back to Gwen. Carter put on a hand on Ben's disappointed shoulder.

"Gwendolyn," the old lady grabbed her hand, "I'm Verdona. We'll talk again soon." Verdona's eyes glowed pink, and with a burst of energy, she disappeared, leaving the others wondering where she went.

Evan began to clap his hands. "Congratulations, you two." He looked at the Tennyson cousins. "You have officially met your terrifyingly powerful grandmother."

* * *

><p>Evan had to disagree with Gwen's father. There really was such a thing as magic; the Slayers used it all the time. But it wasn't like he could tell him.<p>

Evan, Carter, and Sam were in the shadows of Gwen's room, while Kevin and Ben were just outside her window. It had felt wrong to snoop on Gwen like this, but Verdona was going to meet her soon, and they were curious.

"Guys, I know you're out there. You can come on in," Gwen called out to the boys, who had overheard Mr. Tennyson tell his daughter that she was an alien. How she didn't know before was beyond the Pride. Nevertheless, they too revealed themselves just as Ben climbed into the room. The Pride was in their normal street clothes, so Mr. Tennyson wouldn't have a heart attack.

Gwen saw them and started. "How did you-"

"Shadow travel," Evan cut her off. Gwen was about to ask what that was when Kevin finally climbed into her room.

"Hey Uncle Frank," Ben said, trying to diffuse the tension.

"Uh, how do you do, sir?" Kevin said nervously.

"So, here's the thing," Gwen started. "My grandmother, who I never knew, wants something from me, but I don't know what."

Frank smiled. "Let's ask her. Your friends aren't the only people who snoop around eavesdropping on people. Isn't that right, mom?"

A flash of pink light, and Verdona appeared in the room, making Gwen's normally large bedroom seem crowded. "You always could tell when I was watching, sweetie," Verdona said, still wearing her signature cloak. "I had hope that meant you had the spark, but no such luck." Her hand glowed pink and she snapped her fingers.

A flash of pink light, and everyone was in the living room. Gwen's mom Natalie dropped the pitcher she was cleaning, breaking it to pieces on the floor. "Verdona, what a surprise," she said, clearly not happy to see her mother-in-law.

Verdona's eyes flashed pink, and the broken pitcher reattached itself and landed on the table with a gentle thud.

"Wow," Gwen said, since she couldn't do something like that.

Verdona turned to her daughter-in-law. "Tea, dear, and something sweet for the kids."

* * *

><p>Everyone besides the Pride was sitting on the couches, teacups and a plate of cookies in front of them. "Been a while, mom," Frank said, trying to make light conversation.<p>

Verdona held up her teacup. "I suppose, in human time." She took a sip of her drink.

"So you're an Anodite," Carter said, wanting to get to the point.

"Then you must know that we're a race of free spirits with powers that humans can barely comprehend," Verdona said, perhaps a bit smugly.

"Doesn't that go for all alien races?" Evan tried to joke. Sam slapped him upside the head, making him say, "Ow!" and rub his sore spot.

Verdona continued like that didn't happen. "We don't often mess with the affairs of just plain folks, but I fell _deeply_ in love with Max Tennyson."

"And ditched him?" Kevin said coarsely, though he was curious. Ben elbowed him in the stomach.

"No, it's just that, after the kids were grown and left the house, I needed to reconnect with my Anodite heritage and Max was busy saving the universe with the Plumbers," Verdona explained.

"Dad thought you didn't know about that," Frank interjected.

"He didn't want me to worry," Verdona said warmly. "He was a sweet man, and we had many good years, but in time we fell apart. Even a man full of as much mana as Max is still just a physical being."

"What's mana?" A black cloth smothered Ben's mouth, stopping him from interrupting again. Even though Verdona didn't so the same to her son when _he_ interrupted…

"Your grandpa's fate was so huge it even reached my planet," Verdona continued. "I came back to remember the good times. Who knew there was a budding Anodite among you!" Verdona looked at her granddaughter with such pride it made Gwen uncomfortable.

"You'll be amazed at what you can do." Verdona stood up. "I'll teach you to master life energy. That's what mana is." Verdona looked at Ben and instantly the cloth disappeared.

"I wanna learn!" Gwen said like an excited child. "Where do we start?"

"On Anodyne," Verdona said, much to Gwen's surprise. "Stop living like a human on this planet. Come home with me and join the _real _party."

"Leave?" Gwen stood up, away from her grandmother. "This is…sudden, and huge to take in. I-I need to think." Gwen started to run out of the room and up the stairs. Ben and Kevin immediately ran out after her, calling her name. Evan looked at Gwen's parents. "What do you think she should do?"

They looked at each other. "I don't know. It's her life, she should decide."

"I was hoping she would take after my side of the family-" Natalie glared at Verdona- "but Gwen's happiness is important to us. If she wants to go, we won't stop her."

* * *

><p>Gwen was on the roof when they found her. "You just had to be on the roof, didn't you?" Evan remarked as he slowly climbed towards you.<p>

"What, you don't like it up here?" Gwen asked as he sat down beside her.

"Oh, it's nice," Evan said quickly. "It's just, what if I fell off of here? It would be a total accident, but everyone would think it was suicide."

"Like you'd kill yourself," Sam said as she sat beside him. Carter followed suit, hugging her knees and looking at Gwen. Gwen turned to her left to see that Ben was next to her, followed by Kevin, who was having difficulty sitting down.

"Why'd you have to pick the roof?" Kevin complained when he finally sat down comfortably. "Not all of us can fly, you know."

Ben elbowed him again. "Dude, he supportive!" he hissed before turning back to his cousin.

"This was not how I expected my day to go," Gwen finally said forlornly.

"But you gotta admit it's cool to find out about your powers," Ben said reasonably.

"But I'd be gone for a long time," Gwen said.

"Maybe forever," Evan said, not looking at Gwen when he said it.

"I've always felt like an outsider, like I'm in the wrong place," Gwen explained. "But then I think, 'oh, that's high school for you.'"

"You do know we'll miss you when you go," Carter said, much to Gwen's surprise. The two of them hadn't really talked much, so it was weird to hear her say that. Weird…but it was nice to know Carter cared.

"But then again, this is probably a once in a lifetime opportunity," Carter said quickly.

"And we've been recruiting more Plumbers' kids, so we'll have a pretty powerful team," Ben said, making Gwen kind of sad. When he saw her expression, he explained, "I'm just trying to say that it's your choice if you want to go or not. You don't have to be dragged down because of us."

Gwen quirked an eyebrow. "You're the only one who could drag me down, doofus," she said with her signature smirk. Ben lightly punched her shoulder good-naturedly.

"I for one would hate to see you go," Sam said suddenly, making everyone look at her. "Who else am I supposed to argue with, besides Evan, I mean." Evan stuck his tongue out at her.

"Don't let her change your mind," Kevin told Gwen. "If you want to go, you should. If you don't, well, don't let us make up your mind for you." Some part of Gwen wanted him to say that he didn't want her to go, even if it meant she would learn more about her heritage. But then again, Kevin was never one for words, especially in front of other people.

Gwen turned to Evan, who was giving her wet, puppy eyes. "No one would miss you if you never went away." Gwen threw her arms around his neck and kissed him quickly on the cheek, right before standing up and walking off the roof.

"You got that off of some song, didn't you?" Carter hissed in Evan's ear, snapping him out of the fog Gwen put him in.

"Don't tell her that!" he hissed back, making her laugh in his face.

* * *

><p>"Why do I hear Shag Carpet?" Sam asked out loud, trying to be heard over the music. She then saw Verdona swaying around to it, a disco ball lighting up the place with its multicolored light.<p>

That answered her question.

"Grandma, I'm flattered about the offer, but I think I'm okay with being a gifted human," Gwen said when she saw her grandma. "I'm gonna stay here with my friends."

Verdona looked at her, puzzled. The music stopped, and the disco ball vanished in a flash of pink light. "But you don't even know what you really are," Verdona tried to reason. "We belong on Anodyne, and among our kind! Let me show you." Pink light surrounded Verdona like an angry aura, and her human skin fell to the floor like an unwanted jacket. The others climbed down the stairs in time to see Verdona change into her Anodite form.

Verdona was a purple humanoid with long, flowing pink energy for hair, and white eyes with no pupils in them. She looked pretty hot for a grandma, not that anyone would admit it.

"See?" Verdona said, her voice sounding ethereal. "This is what it means to be an Anodite."

"So _that's_ why she looks so good," Natalie interjected.

"Anodites are pure energy," Verdona explained, ignoring her family. "We draw power from the mana around us."

"You gotta admit that's pretty cool," Ben said, making Evan and Sam glare at him.

"You're just too young to make up your mind," Verdona went on. "Let me help you. I'll destroy your body and free the Anodite inside. It'll be fun, and you'll be able to think much more clearly."

"What the hell are you _on_?" Sam yelled at Verdona. "She just said she didn't want to go with you. Can't you respect your own granddaughter's decision?"

"Damn kid," Verdona spat out. "You think you know everything, don't you?"

"I know bullshit when I hear it!"

"But how do you know you won't like it if you don't try it?" Verdona asked Gwen sweetly, like _destroying her body_ was no big deal.

"And now you sound like a drug dealer," Carter told the old lady. "If she says no, she means no. Just because you're older than her doesn't mean you know everything."

Ben and Kevin flanked Gwen like bodyguards, making Verdona smirk. "Another dance, kids?" She held up a glowing pink hand. "Okay, but just this once." A giant blast of power sent the teenagers out of the building into the backyard. Verdona loomed over them, hovering over the wreckage of the destroyed wall, power radiating off of her.

Gwen looked at her friends to make sure they were okay. They all looked fine, except for Evan, who was face down on the ground, blood pooling around his head. Carter noticed and checked his forehead wound.

"He's just unconscious," she said. "He's just unconscious!" she said again loudly, turning to Sam. Sam was looking at Evan, her eyes glowing red. She turned to Verdona and snarled, her teeth looking unusually sharp.

Gwen's sentiments exactly. She shot up from the ground, her eyes blazing. She looked at the smirking face of Verdona and her blood boiled even more. No one did that her friends; _no one_.

* * *

><p><em>By the way, the song Carter mentioned is "You Can't Be Missed If You Never Go Away" by Cobra Starship.<em>

_So, what do you think? Did you like the Author's Note in the beginning?_


	17. Screaming Bloody Murder

Chapter 17: Screaming Bloody Murder

_I found the perfect band to represent this story: Sum 41. Just listen to them, their music is brilliant!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Ben 10 franchise nor the song and album "Screaming Bloody Murder" by Sum 41._

* * *

><p>"What hit me?" Evan asked groggily when he finally woke up. When Verdona blasted the house in two, something hit Evan on the head, making blood spurt everywhere. And then everything went black, causing a lapse in memory.<p>

"My grandma," said Gwen's voice from the left. Evan sat up, feeling his forehead where the wound should be. He didn't feel and blood and his head didn't hurt anymore. Evan stood and looked at the house, his jaw dropping when he saw that it was back to normal.

"What did I miss?" he asked.

"Oh, just Sam laying into Verdona for hurting you," Carter said cheerfully. "Man, I wish I got that on tape!"

"I said I was sorry!"

"No one blames you, Sam," Ben said from Evan's right. "In your defense, Verdona did try to kill us and all." Evan looked at Sam, who had Kevin's arm draped over her shoulders for comfort.

"Did you know her hair can literally catch on fire when she's angry?" Kevin asked him from ten feet away.

"Yes, I did know that," Evan answered. "I haven't seen it in a while though." And then he realized that Scary Grandma was nowhere to be seen. "What happened to your grandma?"

"I had a little chat with her," Gwen said blithely. "It took a little while, but I managed to convince her to let me stay here. More importantly, are you okay?" Gwen brushed back a few locks of Evan's hair with her hand, looking for any sign of the injury he had received earlier.

Evan gently knocked her hand away. "If Carter healed me, then I must be okay."

"But I didn't; Verdona did," Carter confessed, making Evan snap his head towards her. "Yeah, she even fixed the house." She gestured back towards Gwen's house, which still looked normal and expensive.

"But more importantly," Ben started, making them all look at him. "since when where you a healer?"

* * *

><p>"Ben, what's going on?" Carter asked over the phone. She was in her room with Sam and Evan, a few days after the Verdona incident. They were supposed to be doing homework, but then Ben called.<p>

"Evil robot monster at the old abandoned factory!" It was hard to hear him since there were lasers and yelling in the background.

"Which abandoned factory? Bellwood's got tons of 'em!"

Ben was about to say something, but then he got cut off, leaving Carter with the tone. She shut off her phone and got up from the couch. "Can you track down Ben and the others? We have to go save them."

Evan already had his badge out. "But I think they can handle it. We don't always have to come to the rescue."

"True, but I'd much rather be there just in case," Sam said reasonably.

"You just want to save Kevin," Carter teased. Sam's eye twitched as her face began to turn red.

"Sam's got a boyfriend, Sam's got a boyfriend!"

* * *

><p>The Pride saw Ben's team outside an abandoned factory, covered in green slime. Ben was nowhere to be seen.<p>

"Eew," was Sam's only response.

"Ben, get yourself off us," Gwen ordered him. The Pride looked confused until a metal disk hovering over them said, "Sorry!" It flew all over the place, collecting the green slime off of Kevin, Gwen, Kevin's already green car, and the ground. The slime swirled together to create a green alien with the disk hovering over it, right before the Omnitrix timed out and the blob alien turned back into Ben.

"One of your aliens is a giant booger," Evan said, looking at his friend with disgust.

"Your argument is invalid," Ben countered, even though they weren't arguing. "And where were you guys?"

"We couldn't figure out which abandoned factory," Sam explained. "You'd be surprised how many of them are in this town."

"And it's not like you guys couldn't handle yourselves," Carter said, pointing at the giant metal glove twenty feet away from them- a spoil from the robot Ben dismantled.

"Back up would have been nice," Kevin told her as he picked up the glove. "But whatever." He walked over to the truck of his car and opened it. "As long as we took care of this thing for good." He threw the glove inside and slammed the hatch shut.

The fingers of the glove began to move…

* * *

><p>They were all at Mr. Smoothy now, with Evan and Ben ordering drinks. The girls were lying against Kevin's car with Kevin wiping one of his headlights with an old rag. "I swear there is still Tennyson goop on here," he said, furiously wiping the light.<p>

"No there isn't," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

Ben and Evan finally got there smoothies and were walking towards the car when someone knocked Ben's drinks all over his front. Cash and JT were right around the corner, laughing at him. Evan calmly got some napkins and gave them to Ben, silently telling him to clean himself up.

"Looks like somebody had an accident," Cash sneered, getting all up in Ben's face.

"I think someone still needs a sippy cup!" jeered JT.

Kevin took one look at the scene in front of him and started for them, ready to pound some bozos into the pavement. But then Ben signaled to him, obviously trying to say that he didn't need his help. Kevin felt a tug at his arm.

It was Sam, who said softly, "Believe me, I want to beat them up too. But let Ben fight his own battles." Kevin turned his head back to Ben, ready for a fight, just in case.

Evan, who was still holding a tray, stepped back a little, watching the scene unfold with a curious eye.

"Okay, you got me. Good one," Ben said, surprising Cash and JT and, well, all of his friends.

"Well, what are you gonna do about it, huh?" Cash slammed his open palm against Ben's chest, only to get smoothie all over it. "Look what you made me do!" he accused him, still trying to bait Ben.

And then the two bullies realized that everyone around them was _laughing_ at them.

Ben was five seconds away from going alien on them, but then he decided against it. "You know what? You two aren't even worth it." That surprised Cash and JT.

"It's ridiculous! Can't you try being original for a change?" Ben finally used the napkins Evan gave him and attempted to get the orange mess off of him. "You've been doing the same old bully routine since the second grade, Cash. It's tired. Spilling my drink? Seriously? I can't believe I used to be afraid of you. Look around."

Cash and JT did so, and saw that just about everyone was looking at them like they were annoying flies they couldn't wait to squash. "We've all grown up," Ben continued. "But you're still the same pathetic loser who has to torment others just to feel good about himself. But you're just sad."

And then he walked away from them with Evan in tow. The crowd clapped and cheered, and Evan would have joined in if he hadn't had drinks in his hand. Ben stood up to his old bullies, restrained himself from using violence, and he didn't even raise his voice.

Ben was finally starting to grow up.

He could see Carter slowly clapping as Ben walked up to the car. "Not bad, Tennyson, not bad." If Ben's grin could get any larger, it would break his face. Carter suddenly thrust her hand towards his chest, and it glowed blue. The smoothie that was on Ben's front was un-sticking itself from his shirt, slowly flowing out of the fabric. In just a few seconds, his front was clean and Carter was holding a little orange ball in her hands.

"I keep forgetting you can do that," Sam told her from Ben's left, so she could obstruct the crowds view from any odd activity.

"If she does party tricks like that all the time, they'll get old," Evan commented as he set the drinks down.

Ben turned back to Carter, who was smiling up at him. "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

She thought for a moment, and then said, "I'm proud of you."

Because Ben's day just couldn't get any better.

* * *

><p>It was evening now, and while Ben was out with dinner with Gwen and Kevin, the Pride had a job to do. Again. This time it was to get dirt on some corrupt banker. No assassinations, just find something incriminating.<p>

Decked out in all Slayer gear, they crept towards the bank and Carter used her ice powers to freeze the cameras over. That way Sam could pick the lock without any worrying. Evan was in the back, making sure any security guards on duty wouldn't bother them anytime soon.

Once they were in, it only took twenty or so minutes to find the office and get all the files they needed. This banker was stealing money from a lot of people in Bellwood, forcing them to go bankrupt so he could get a bonus to go with his paycheck.

People like him really needed to learn that they couldn't get away with this crap forever.

Ten minutes later, the Pride was flying away from the bank, the flash drive with all the evidence with Carter. They flew over downtown Bellwood, right over the diner. That was when they saw Cash and JT push Kevin's car off a cliff, near the diner.

"Shouldn't we stop them?" Evan asked worriedly in midair.

"We can't reveal our secret!" Carter said, even though she really wanted to put an end to this nonsense.

Sam was way ahead of them. "Kevin?" She said into her phone. "Cash and JT just pushed your car off the cliff."

Thirty seconds later, Kevin came running out of the diner screaming bloody murder and a bunch of other profanities that would have made a conservative cringe. Ben and Gwen struggled to keep up with him.

The Pride slowly flew over the wreckage, watching at Cash and JT ran away into the forest. They could see Ben about to go alien and Gwen stopping him. Then they decided to descend.

"Even if you did go after them, it wouldn't solve anything," Evan said as his wings contracted into his back. Gwen, who had never seen his wings before, rubbed her eyes and blinked.

"Was there something wrong with your wings?" she asked, not comprehending.

Evan removed his mask. "Maybe."

Sam walked over to Kevin, who was kneeling before his wrecked car, hugging it. Sam took off her mask and wrapped her arms around his neck, saying, "Its okay, we can fix it," into his ear.

"How'd you guys know about all of this anyway?" Ben asked Carter, who had also taken off her mask.

"We were flying over them when we saw them," she explained.

"So who were you sent to kill this time?" Gwen asked her rather harshly. She still was not happy about being friends with an assassin.

"Oh, we were just getting evidence against a corrupt banker," Carter explained, dismissing the accusation with a wave of her hand. "We don't always kill people, you know." Gwen hadn't known, but she was happy that one less person was dead tonight.

"I still don't like the idea of you killing people," Ben told her sternly. "I just don't see why you have to."

"Probably because you're an idealist by nature," Evan explained. "You believe that everyone has good in them, therefore they should have a second chance to reform their ways. A shame the real world doesn't really work that way."

"As to why we have to, well, we can't go against Cordelia," Carter said, shuddering.

"Oh, come on, how bad can she possibly be?" Gwen asked, hands on her hips.

"You can say that because you've never had one of her forehead flicks before." Evan jutted his bottom lip out like a child, making Gwen seriously question how terrifying this Cordelia person was.

* * *

><p>At the abandoned mannequin factory, Cash and JT were contemplating the uses of a metal hand.<p>

"I think it's cool!" JT put on the gauntlet and started to play with it. "Behold the awesome power of my mighty robot arm!" He started to point it at random directions, shouting "pew,pew!" because he was a dork. Cash was not impressed.

At least, not until JT blew a hole in the rooftop.

* * *

><p>Cash quickly lined a table with brown beer bottles and stayed out of the way, lying on the ground in case of falling debris. JT stood five feet away from the intended targets and took aim. A red laser shot out of his metal finger, completely blowing up the first bottle. "Yeah!" Cash cheered him on.<p>

Three more laser shots, and Cash wanted a turn. "But I found it!" JT whined as Cash pried it off of him.

"No finders' keepers, JT!" Cash said maliciously as he put on the arm. He aimed his fist at a mannequin. "It's mine." A giant red laser obliterated the stuffing out of it.

Cash began to laugh evilly, which sent shivers down JT's spine. Cash then started blowing up random mannequins around the room, only stopping to take a look at his handiwork.

"Cash, you okay?"

"Oh, I'm better than okay." His evil grin grew wider. "This'll scare the crap out of Tennyson. Last time he'll ever talk smack to me."

"Yeah, that'd be great," JT said, his smile wavering. And then he took a good look at Cash, and it wiped the smile off his face completely.

"You're not joking, are you?"

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day<strong>

Sam was sitting in Ben's garage, holding her math notes in her lap. Unlike Evan, she wasn't super smart, but unlike Carter, she was pretty average when it came to equations. Either way, she had to study for that test on Monday.

Sam took a brief moment to look at Kevin, or what she could see of him, since he was under his totaled car, trying to salvage it. He was muttering curses underneath it, and it really wasn't helping her study.

Ben walked into the garage from the outside, holding a smoothie in each hand. "You've been here all night?" he asked Kevin as he set down the drinks.

"And I'm gonna be here until my ride is cherry," Kevin snarled as he grabbed another tool.

"Need some help?" Kevin actually stopped working and got his head out into the open. "You wanna help me? Go away." He even made little wavy motions with his hand.

Ben, kind of pissed, said, "Fine by me." He grabbed one of the smoothies and yelled, "No juice for you!" And then he walked away, leaving Kevin to deal with Sam.

"You could have been nicer to him."

"Would you?"

Sam had to stop and think about that for a moment. Kevin snorted certain of victory. "You don't have to take your anger out on people!" And now Sam felt like a hypocrite. Maybe she should take her own advice for a change.

Kevin took the smoothie off the table next to Sam and sipped it. He nearly spat it back out. "Uh, I think it's got a fruit bone in it!" Sam got up and snatched the smoothie out of Kevin's hands. He was about to protest, but he saw the look Sam was giving him and surrendered. "Fine, I'll go get him."

Kevin almost made it out of the garage when JT came running in. (How many people knew where Ben lived, anyway?)

"Where's Ben?" JT inquired, gasping for air. "I gotta warn him. Something is wrong with Cash!"

"You mean to guy who wrecked my car?" Kevin got a good look at JT. "Weren't you with him?" JT began to back away, but Kevin grabbed a fistful of his shirt and held him in front of his face.

"You can deck him later." Kevin slowly let go of JT. JT, who was certain he was about to die right there, took a minute to calm down. "Now tell us what's going on," Sam said soothingly.

"Cash is looking for Ben," JT began. "Says he's gonna teach him a lesson."

"I wouldn't worry about Ben," Kevin said confidently. "I'd worry about your friend Cash. Where is he?"

"At the old mannequin factory downtown." JT pointed at the general direction of the building. "We hang out there sometimes. Okay, all the time."

"Got it." Kevin began to run out of the garage, leaving Sam with JT. Sam would have warned him not to do anything stupid, but it would have been a waste of breath. As soon as Kevin was out of earshot, Sam asked the boy, "Why do you hang out with Cash?"

Startled, JT stammered out, "He's my friend."

"Some friend."

"Cash is Cash. What do you want from me?"

"I think you have a lot of influence on him is all." Sam gave JT the once over. "If you talk to him, maybe you can convince him not to hurt Ben."

"But then he might beat me up!" JT calmed himself down. "As long as I don't get him angry, I can watch him beat other people up instead of me."

"Yeah, because that's the basis of a beautiful friendship."

"I…"

Sam sighed. "Why are you still here? Why aren't you hanging out with your good buddy Cash?"

"I just wanted to warn Ben!"

Sam held up a hand. "Don't bother. Ben can handle himself."

"What about me? Cash is seriously bent. Something is wrong with him. And if he finds out I told him-"

"Right, like he's going to beat you up," Sam scoffed. But then she thought for a moment. "What do you mean, he's seriously bent?"

**About five minutes later**

"Oh, shit, run!" Sam and JT raced out of the garage. Gwen, who had been listening in, ran with them.

"Where did you come from?" Sam inquired as they ran to Mr. Smoothy.

"I was listening in," Gwen huffed. "I never figured you to be diplomatic."

"Yeah, well, sometimes it pays to listen first."

* * *

><p>They found Ben at Mr. Smoothy, burping with a smoothie in each hand. "That was a solid eight," Sam remarked when she neared him.<p>

"Really? I thought that was a nine for sure."

Gwen decided to interject. "How many of those things have you had today?" Ben was about to answer when JT finally showed up.

"Hi," he said tentatively.

Ben glared at the two redheads. "What is _he_ doing here?"

"Probably trying to warn you," Carter said, walking up to Ben with Evan trailing behind her. Sam had called them on the way to Mr. Smoothy as backup. Kevin would have been happy.

"Something is seriously wrong with Cash," JT began.

"Kevin went over to their hideout to take care him a while ago and we're worried," Sam interrupted.

"You're worried about _Kevin_?" Ben asked incredulously. "Kevin's going to destroy him!"

"Kevin's not like that," Gwen protested. "He's changed." She thought for a moment. "You know, a little." She thought some more. "Okay, maybe this is bad. We should go."

"We're not far, I'll show you." JT led the way to the old mannequin factory.

* * *

><p>They found Kevin with two different types of armor on him, and holes right through it. He was lying against the wall, a giant hole in the wall above his head, his broken body causing him serious pain.<p>

They all ran up to him, concerned. "How bad is it?" Carter inquired the doctor side of her showing through.

"Not as bad as it looks," Kevin finally said.

"Are you seriously saying _Cash_ did this to you?" Ben asked, blown out of his mind. When Kevin didn't answer, Ben began to laugh, only stopping when Sam stomped on his foot. That brought a little smile to Kevin's face.

"He must have gotten his hands on some alien tech," Kevin explained. "He kind of looked like that robot we fought yesterday."

"What kind of alien technology could have done this?" Evan wondered out loud, seriously pondering the answer even though they didn't have the time for it.

"He called you out, bro," Kevin told Ben. "Three o'clock at Mr. Smoothy."

"This has got to end." Ben looked at his Omnitrix, forgetting momentarily that it couldn't tell time.

"You got fifteen minutes," Gwen told him. Ben looked back at Kevin and his beat up body.

"Go," Kevin urged him.

"I'll stay with him," Carter reassured him. "I'll see if I can fix him up completely."

"Don't wear yourself out doing that, okay?" Evan told her as the rest slowly filed out of the room. As soon as they were outside, Carter smiled at Kevin, her hands glowing blue.

"So what do you think of Sam?"

* * *

><p>"Hey!" Ben called out to Robot Cash. He had literally transformed since the last time Ben saw him, going from a lame school bully to a blue and silver robot monster. And now he was about to hurt two guys who were trying to run away from him.<p>

"What is your problem?" Ben walked up to Cash, completely unafraid of the metal armor.

"You're my problem, Tennyson! But now I got power, and no one can stop me, not even your friend Kevin." Cash turned to the rest of the crowd that had stayed to watch in fascinated horror at the monstrosity that was Cash. "That's right!" he yelled triumphantly. "I beat Kevin Levin! And you're next Tennyson."

Ben crossed his arms. "I'm not going to fight you, Cash."

He glared at him. "Then this will be over pretty quick." Cash lifted a glowing fist and was about to fire when he heard JT scream, "CASH!" JT and the others had finally arrived, ready to see if JT was able to save Cash without anyone having to kill him.

"Look, Cash, this is messed up," JT began, stepping up to the plate. "We were supposed to be having fun. This ain't you, man."

"YOU RATTED ME OUT!" Cash fired a laser at his 'friend' and was about to kill him if Gwen hadn't thrown up an energy shield around him just in time.

"Nice friend you got there," Gwen remarked to JT. They then heard Cash screaming, and looked up to see him about to tackle JT to the ground.

This further proved the point that Cash was a shitty friend.

A blast from Chromastone sent Cash flying away from them. He slowly stood up to see the purple alien in front of him. "Cash, listen to me," it said. "You don't want to do this."

Cash sent a laser at him, which went right through Chromastone and into the Mr. Smoothy sign, sending it up in flames. Cash then sent two laser blasts at the alien, which it absorbed with ease. Chromastone sent the energy back, sending Robot Cash flying.

"You can't beat me, Cash."

"You think just because you're some sort of freak I'm just gonna stop? I'm never gonna stop, ever!" Cash then punched Chromastone, effectively knocking him backwards. He then grabbed its leg and threw him against a car, smashing the vehicle inwards.

And just because that wasn't enough, Cash threw Chromastone against the ground, then picked him back up and threw him against the truck across the street. Cash grinned until he saw Chromastone get back up and wag its finger at him.

They both ran at each other and held each other's arms at a deadlock. Only one could win like this, and neither side was giving.

"Why are you doing this?" Chromastone asked, hoping for some answers. "Why me?"

"Why not?"

"I'll show you why not!" Chromastone pushed Robot Cash to the ground, weakening him in the process. "It doesn't have to be this way Cash," Chromastone said. "Neither of us wins anything by fighting. Just stop!"

"I can't!" Cash finally admitted.

"Yeah, you can!" JT said, finally finding the courage to stand up and help his friend.

"No, I seriously can't!" Cash yelled at them. "The machine wants to fight!"

"The Cash I know wouldn't let a pile of scrap metal tell him what to do." JT was very good at pep talking. "You're the toughest kid in school! Fight it!"

"How?"

"That thing doesn't control you. You control it." It was like JT had found the magic button. Robot Cash began to glow red, and he slowly shrunk back to normal size. The armor came off of him and receded back into the glove, and Cash was back to normal.

JT pried the gauntlet off of him and threw it at the ground. He then turned to help his friend stand back up. When Cash opened his eyes, Ben was glaring at him. Sam walked up to JT.

"Thanks," he told her. He turned to Ben. "You too. We should hang out sometime."

"Umm…" Ben didn't know how to answer. Luckily for him, JT turned back to Cash, who was smiling at him.

"Let's go," he said, and they walked out of the parking lot, JT's arm around Cash's shoulder.


	18. In Which Carter and Kevin Have a Talk

Chapter 18: In Which Carter and Kevin Have a Talk

_I am actually really getting into Omniverse. At first I only watched it because of Rook, but now I see real potential for the show. I wonder what happened to Julie though. I never really liked her-too perfect in my eyes- but I am curious to see if she pops up in the show._

_Also, I like Ester. She seems a little naive, but she's also pretty kick ass._

* * *

><p>Kevin was in serious trouble.<p>

"So what do you think about Sam?" Kevin groaned as the armor slowly melted off his body and Carter's magical glowing hands went towards the nearest wound.

"Why do you wanna know?"

"Sam's my best friend, and I was curious to see what you think of her so far." Carter was a _very_ good healer; already the pain in Kevin's shoulder was fading.

"Well, she seems pretty wise for someone her age, and I guess she's considerate, because whenever I talk about cars she doesn't look bored and ask stupid questions…" Kevin trailed off, a smile on his face, as he remembered the date they had at the auto show, right after they had dropped off Ben and Carter at the Pier. Sam knew how to work her way around an engine, but she didn't know much about car styles. When they had stopped in front of a red first generation Chevrolet Corvette, Kevin had went on and on about the design and engineering behind it. Sam had listened attentively even though she wasn't particularly interested and she even seemed to understand what Kevin was blathering on about.

Carter nodded, finishing up the boy's shoulder. "Anything else?"

"Well, she's got a temper." Kevin shuddered at what happened at the Verdona incident. He had seen how Sam's hair went from looking like fire to actually _being_ fire, how her teeth looked like sharp fangs, and how thin her pupils had become in her eyes. Sam had launched herself at Verdona with such animalistic ferocity that even Verdona had looked scared. If Gwen hadn't gotten in the middle of it, Sam would have broken Verdona in two.

"Evan, Sam, and I have been together all our lives," Carter explained. "We're like each others' family. If one of us gets hurt, we'd go crazy."

"I guess I understand," Kevin admitted. "Um…can you tell me why Sam didn't seem worried about me when you found me earlier?" Carter looked to see Kevin avert his eyes. So he wasn't that much of a tough guy after all.

"She was worried; you could see it on her face."

Kevin stared back at her, surprised. "Really?"

Carter raised an eyebrow. "Sam wasn't going to make a big deal out of it because she knew I was there. She also knows that if she showed any unnecessary concern for you, it might ruin your tough guy act."

"It's not an act."

"Keep telling yourself that. Where else does it hurt?" Kevin gestured towards his back, and with Carter's help he was turned around with his back to her.

"Are you sure you're okay? You look kind of paler than usual." Kevin tried to look back at his Goth friend only to have her force his head back to the front.

"I'm a little tired," Carter admitted, "but if I rest up later I'll be fine."

A silence followed; neither knew if it was comfortable or not. After a bit, Kevin worked up the courage to ask, "Why are the three of you so close?"

"I told you, we've been together all of our lives."

"I know that, but I'm getting the feeling there's more to it." Carter bit her lip, contemplating telling Kevin. He seemed to pick up the vibe. "If you don't want to tell me-"

"The three of us used to get bullied back when we were kids."

"Wait, what?" Kevin spluttered, trying to turn his head to look at Carter. She forced his head back.

"We were…different from the other kids. I was a Goth even back then, and I was reading Edgar Allan Poe while all the other girls were playing with Barbie dolls. Evan loved to read-he would always bring these giant books to school and read them in the middle of class. The other guys didn't read and they teased him for being smart. And Sam…"

Kevin once again tried to look at Carter, only to have his head roughly turned back to the wall by cool hands. "What about Sam?" he said carefully, not completely sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"Some of her ancestors were psychotic, and everyone knew it. So they thought that Sam must have been psycho too."

"But that doesn't prove anything!" Kevin whirled his entire body around to face Carter, who couldn't stop him. Kevin was shocked by what he saw. Carter was sweating profusely, her face somewhat grayish, her hands shaking with the effort of lifting them. Even then her hands were glowing cerulean, still healing the last of Kevin's wounds.

"Stop already, you're tired!" Kevin pushed her hands away and was thankful to see them stop glowing. Carter still looked like a zombie though.

"Do you have any idea how horrible it was for Sam to grow up with that 'psycho' label?" Carter continued, looking at Kevin with her fierce wolf gray eyes. Even though her limbs felt like lead and it was a problem to speak, she had to say one last thing to Kevin.

"Do you have any idea how horrible it is to be judged like that without anyone bothering to get to know you?" Carter answered her own question. "It completely destroys your self-worth. And now Sam thinks she's psychotic even though all the evidence and tests points to her being normal! Even though we've told her that it wasn't true, even though we joked about it like it couldn't be true! Because it can't! Don't you get that?" Carter glared at Kevin with such ferocity that Kevin shirked back. He was speechless, all because of this passionate display from someone who usually seemed cold and aloof. It was like Carter wasn't seeing Kevin at all, but all the awful kids who made Sam feel like a monster.

"Of course it can't," Kevin said softly, cautiously grabbing Carter's arms. Some color was returning to her face, and there was a feverish blaze in her eyes. The hatred and anger she was spewing was giving her life, and she looked like she was about to beat some sense into the enemy she was seeing.

Carter scoffed. "What _do_ you know? You don't know her like Evan and I do." Okay, now _that_ stung, even though it was true.

"I know she can't be psychotic because… because I was insane once." Carter looked at Kevin, eyes wide. "If an Osmosian drains too much energy, they seek out more of it. They go after the people they care about and hurt innocent people for the fun of it." Kevin looked straight into Carter's eyes. "If she was psychotic, I would know. Trust me on that."

Carter nodded her head once in understanding, right before she nodded again, her eyes glazing over. "Uh, Carter, are you okay?" Kevin asked worriedly.

"S….sleep…." she slurred, her eyes closing. She slumped in Kevin's grasp. He shifted around and put Carter next to him, leaning her against him for support. She was breathing softly, and she looked like she was sleeping, save for the gray face.

When the others found them, Carter was back to normal, though she was still sleeping against Kevin. "What happened?" Ben asked him, immediately going to his love interest's side.

"She got like that after she fixed me up," Kevin explained as Ben picked Carter up bridal style. Kevin stood up and winced as pain shot through his back.

Apparently, Carter had not finished what she started.

"Let me see the wounds," Sam said, pulling down some of the cloth on Kevin's shoulder. Instead of a bloody, gaping hole, there was just a small purple bruise. But Kevin wasn't interested in that. He was looking at Sam's face, how her brow was furrowed, her front teeth biting her lower lip, the worry in her eyes.

So she was the type to reveal her emotions through facial expressions instead of words. That would save a lot of confusion in the future.

Carter groaned and her eyelids fluttered. "You feeling okay?" Ben asked her softly as her glazed eyes searched his face.

"Why are there three of you?"

"…I think you need to go back to sleep," Ben said, a smile forming on his face.

But Carter ignored him and stared at the others. "Did Cordelia make me play with one of her new toys?" she asked, her voice disoriented.

"New toys?" Gwen asked Evan, who smiled sheepishly.

"Whenever Cordelia brings home a new invention, she has us test it out. Of course, they've been already tested on adults by then, she just wants a younger person to test it out," Evan added quickly when he saw Gwen's appalled face.

"And one of the side effects is _that_?" Gwen pointed a finger at Carter, who had fallen asleep on Ben's shoulder by that point.

"Well, there was this one thing that was extremely powerful, but it drained a lot of energy out of you," Sam explained. "I was one of the testers, and the results are kind of similar, and they only lasted a few minutes. But in Carter's case, she's going to be like that for a while."

"We'll take her home," Evan said, turning to Sam. "Do you have her card?"

"I thought I gave it back to her." Sam and Evan looked at Carter, who was sleeping peacefully in Ben's arms, to a certain boy's happiness.

"What card?" Kevin asked.

"A subspace card, but I guess it doesn't matter. We can just call someone." Evan was about to get out his phone when Gwen asked, "What's subspace?"

* * *

><p><strong>Lo Soledad, 1950<strong>

"Are you sure your experiment is going to work, doctor? Your…_time machine_ has cost the US government a pretty penny," said a seasoned general behind a glass wall. He was in a laboratory, watching as the scientist and his assistant began their experiment, a giant donut-shaped quartz machine with cords and mechanics attached to it.

"The chronologorith is hardly a time machine, in a sense of a vehicle, but rather a subatomic drill designed to burrow tunnels in the fabric of space time," said the British scientist on the other side of the glass wall. He and his assistant were working out the last few formulas of the chronologorith machine, and they were eager to get started.

"As to your cost, I believe the alleviation of untold human suffering throughout history is ample justification, general." The scientist walked up to the glass wall to face said general, who was with two other scientists who were keeping track of the experiment behind safety glass.

"It'll also give our Red buddies overseas something to think about," the general said to his companions, who grinned at him. They all put on their safety goggles.

"But to answer your first question," the British scientist continued, "there is only one way to find out." He put on his own safety goggles as his assistant pulled down the lever to start up the machine. A hum noise started from the machine just as it began to glow. Wind began to suck into the hole of the giant circular device, and it was glowing even more brightly than before.

"Your certain we're safe, doctor?" his assistant inquired, worry prominent in his voice.

The doctor-who was right in front of the machine and the most likely candidate to get hurt if something were to go wrong- scoffed. "I'm not certain of anything, Hugo. But the chrono-magnetic field we've generated should protect us."

The chronologorith's center was beginning to show the fabric of space time by this point. Hugo walked up to the doctor and said in a shaky voice, "Doctor, I'm-I'm frightened!"

The scientist dismissed this by holding up a paper bag. "Have a gum ball; it'll calm your nerves."

His assistant backed away, not that the scientist noticed. Everything seemed to be going fine until the scientists behind the safety glass gasped. They looked up to see the doctor being sucked into the chronologorim, his equipment slowly stretching out and going into the gaping hole in the machine. The doctor began to scream, but it was lost in the overpowering hum of his experiment as he was sucked into it.

And then…something appeared out of the chronologorim, something huge and loud. The general, who had seen a lot of terrible things in his time, was scared speechless as he gazed at the monster before him.

* * *

><p><strong>Present Day<strong>

"You guys didn't need to come," Kevin growled at the four kids packed into the backseat of his car. "Sam and I could have handled this _alone_."

"Where Sammy goes, we go!" Evan cheered as he was squished next to Carter.

"Oh, sure, just yell in my ear. I don't need my eardrums at all," she said sarcastically, but that would never deter Evan.

"But what is this thing, anyway?" Gwen asked, ignoring Evan (which is a pretty hard thing to do).

"It's nothing, really."

"Doesn't sound like nothing," Ben said. "Weird noises, unearthly lights, rumors of weird creatures out here." By then Kevin had pulled up at their destination and they all got out.

"Yeah, well, the dudes I heard it from aren't exactly reliable," Kevin admitted as they walked up to the decrepit wall.

"Isn't that like a big bad boy thing to do?" Gwen asked. "Come out here to the ghost town to drag race?"

"How should I know?" Kevin said his salesman smile plastered on his face. "I just know them from auto shop."

Everyone looked to the right, where the words _Kevin Rules!_ were painted onto the wall in red spray paint.

Ben decided to change the subject. "Grandpa Max used to say that Lo Soledad used to be a big military base back in the fifties. Some kind of research facility."

"Must have been some pretty serious research." Kevin gestured to the walls surrounding the place. "Fifty years later and there's still no way in."

Everyone looked to the left, where two gigantic, gaping holes were in the supposedly impenetrable wall.

"No way," Kevin gasped, hands on his head. "These weren't here."

* * *

><p>Kevin drove them into the abandoned military base, where all the wooden buildings were decrepit, the windows shattered, the doors-if they had any- rotten and crumbling.<p>

When Kevin parked and everyone was outside again, Carter said out loud, "Did those holes in the wall look vaguely human shaped to you?"

"I don't know; maybe someone burned through it," Ben suggested.

"I don't think so," Sam countered. "I didn't see any burn marks anywhere. And with the amount of time it had to have taken to go through that wall, there would have to be some evidence left behind. And it would take too much time to cover up."

"And what's with all these trails?" Evan said, kneeling down to examine the weird gray dust. Said trails were everywhere, none going in any particular direction. And then he saw the animal bones littering around the erratic trails.

"A bird and a lizard," Evan mused, picking up the bird skeleton. "No burn marks, and the skeletons look like they've been fossilized."

"That's not the only thing," Carter said, pointing to a nearly destroyed telephone booth. On further examination, the slate was completely dissolved save for two adult male footprints. "Whoever was standing here turned the slate into sand," Carter hypothesized.

"He was probably on hold," Kevin deadpanned.

Ben walked around the booth. "The trail goes to that police station"-he pointed to it-"then those, I guess they're apartments."

"Just to review: someone stood here a million years ago, and walked to those buildings that were built fifty years ago?"

"Over fifty years ago," Sam corrected Kevin, "and no, I seriously doubt that's what happened."

"This could be the sign of serious DNAlien activity," Ben began.

"DNAliens are not doing this," Gwen interrupted. She pointed behind them. "Does _that_ look like a DNAlien to you?"

Something was coming near them, making strange noises as it did. The thing was humanoid, with blue lights emanating from its body, outlined with black. As it travelled, the grass near it shriveled up and died.

Kevin knelt down to absorb the ground. "Finally something worth the gas." Gwen's hands glowed with pink energy, Ben turned into Chromastone, and the Pride got out their favorite weapons. As they were about to attack, the blue monster swerved away from them and hit its shoulder into a building. As the heroes chased after it, the building began to fall down.

Evan's eyes glowed green, and a rock shield was above all of their heads in seconds. The building crashed over them, and when Evan finally dismantled the shield, the monster was gone.

As Chromastone turned back into Ben and Kevin put away his armor, Gwen said, "At least the building it destroyed wasn't the library."

"You really love the books, don't you?" Sam didn't mean that in a mean way.

"I think she means that we can get information," Evan explained to her. "We need to know what that thing is. The only thing we do know is that it's looking for something here on the base."

* * *

><p>In the rundown library full of moldy books, Gwen was sifting through old files on the library's severely outdated computer. "These files are really corroded," she told everyone. "It looks like this place was built for some time experiment called Project Paradox." Gwen clicked on to the next file, which showed a small black and white picture of a handsome young scientist in a white lab coat and safety goggles around his neck.<p>

"Who wouldn't use the desert outside Bellwood to do top-secret research?" Kevin asked rhetorically, because it was pretty ridiculous to think about.

"They built it here because of the huge quartz deposits," Evan explained.

Kevin mulled it over. "Quartz…time…maybe they were trying to build the world's biggest wristwatch?"

Gwen stopped looking through the files. "Sam?"

Sam elbowed Kevin in the gut. "OW!"

The others snickered immaturely while Gwen just smiled. "Thank you."

Once they finally calmed down, Ben looked at the file. "His name's been censored. Whoever he was, his paradox theory was the basis of some kind of experimental tunnel through time." A warning bell chimed through Carter's head; where had she heard about something like that before?

Evan looked at her. "Didn't Isaac say something about this?"

"Actually, yes. I think it was a few years ago." Carter furrowed her brow. "When the experiment happened back in 1950, it caused a major energy malfunction to happen in Bellwood. The hospital was left without any power; even the backup generators weren't working. And even though they had state-of-the-art technology, without power, they still lost a lot a people that day."

"Wait, 1950? Your grandfather doesn't look a day over twenty-five!" Ben protested, much to Gwen and Kevin's surprise. When did he meet Carter's grandpa?

"My grandparents are both around 5,000 years old. They obviously picked up on a few tricks to make them seem younger."

"So, what, your grandparents are vampires?" Kevin eyed her suspiciously.

Carter rolled her eyes. "Just because they're technically immortal doesn't mean they suck blood."

"_Anyway_," Sam interjected loudly. "Did Isaac say anything about the experiment working?"

Carter thought for a moment. "He didn't say anything because it was top-secret information, but he implied that _something_ happened."

* * *

><p>When they arrived at the research facility where the Paradox Project happened, they saw that four machines had been stretched out by impossible means to form four pillars that disappeared into the machine's giant hole.<p>

"Looks like my place after that big party I had last weekend," Kevin joked. He heard a loud gasp behind him, and he turned around. There stood Evan, who looked indignant as he glared daggers at Kevin.

"What?"

"You had a party and you _didn't invite me_? That is so wrong!"

"I-"

"No!" Evan held up a hand. "I shun you!" And then he walked briskly away from Kevin, nose in the air.

Kevin turned to Sam, who shrugged. "Yeah, he can be a real drama queen. He'll get over it soon enough."

"Will you guys be serious? That thing's been here too." Gwen pointed to the funny trail on the floor that seemed to lead out of the round time experiment.

"One trail," Ben said, standing in it the middle of it. "Either it came out of here and vanished…"

"Or it was born here," Carter finished for him before they heard a horrific noise. They all turned to the broken safety glass window as the inhuman screeching noise continued. And then the ground underneath them shook.

Ben immediately turned the dial on his Omnitrix and turned into Swampfire. He ran into the extra room and said "Gotcha!" Only it wasn't the thing they were after.

It was the scientist who led the Paradox Project, looking just like he had in the picture, only with brown hair that was slicked back and smiling blue eyes.

"Swampfire," the scientist said nostalgically. "That takes me back. Or is it forward? It's so hard to tell, Ben. Have we met?"

Swampfire slowly let go of the strange man. "How do you know my name?"

The scientist wiped the dust off his tan tweed vest, brown slacks, and white lab coat. "Have we met _yet_, I suppose the question was."

Kevin, decked out in his metal armor, yelled out, "Hey, it's that dork from the photo! The Paradox guy." Ignoring him, the others walked into the room.

"You haven't changed at all, not in fifty years," Gwen remarked as she studied the man before her.

"Oh, considerably more than that," the scientist said, taking out a paper bag from his pocket. "Gum ball?"

"No thanks," Swampfire declined. "Who are you? What's your name?"

"Didn't you read my file? I was hoping you could tell me. It slipped my mind several hundred years ago."

"Did he just say several hundred years?" Kevin looked at Evan, who held up a hand to Kevin's face.

"Did you just say-hey!" Evan cried, for the scientist had disappeared.

"You didn't happen to see a space time anomaly around here, did you?" the scientist said from ten feet away from his original spot. He held up an arm to shoulder height. "About yea big, incredibly destructive and unstoppable?" He stared into their stupefied faces. "No? I must have been thinking about another moment. Ta-ta!" And he walked briskly out of the room.

Kevin ran after him and stopped when the next room was empty of human life. "Where'd he go?"

Sam walked into the room and looked out the window to see the scientist leaning casually against a rusty light post just across the street. "He's right there!"

"He's obviously connected to that creature," Ben said from the doorway. "We need to talk to him."

"Oh, yeah, we'll talk to him," said Kevin right before he smashed through the wall, leading to the outside. "Right after the pounding!" The scientist looked bored as Kevin ran up to him threateningly. He merely walked past the pole and disappeared. Kevin looked around it, confused, right before he saw the scientist wave from the doorway from a house two feet away. He closed the door in Kevin's face.

Undeterred, Kevin barged through the door, splintering the aged wood. The others, who had just exited the lab, watched as Kevin destroyed the house, blasting holes through walls, throwing a chair through the roof, all to find one crazy man.

…Who happened to walk up in front of the house, strolling past the others. He turned to them and asked, "Was I in there?" And then he ran away from them.

As the scientist reared the corner past another building, Sam and Swampfire blew a giant hole through it to capture the guy faster. "That was public property, you know," the scientist said calmly as he stood behind the six of them, no longer running for his life.

"How does he move so fast?" Swampfire asked the others. Not like they had the answer.

"You mean, how do I move so quickly," the scientist corrected him from across the street. He leaned against an old building casually. "It's called walking." As if to demonstrate his point, he walked to the back of the building, only to turn up next to Carter and Kevin. "Strolling, really."

"That's better," Kevin snarled as he grabbed the man's lab coat.

"Easy on the jacket, it's 1200 years old!" the scientist said. "Anyway, thanks."

"Thanks for what?" Swampfire asked.

"Well, I figured if you made a loud enough racket, he'd show up." And then they could all hear a metallic screeching noise, signaling the return of the blue and black creature from the time experiment.

"Finally, something we can hit!" Kevin cheered, letting go of the scientist.

"Oh, I really don't think that's such a good idea!" he warned the young boy.

Gwen, who was watching the creature, gasped. "Those trails, they aren't burn marks, they're…age. The creature accelerates time!"

"Sam could have told you that if you'd just ask her," the scientist said, making the fiery redhead look at him.

Ignoring everyone, Kevin yelled out, "Not so fast, ugly!" He ran towards the creature and hit it, actually stopping it in its tracks for a moment. But the result was disastrous: Kevin's brick armor fell away, and his young skin began to wrinkle. With a cry of pain, Kevin fainted as veins began to pop out of his skin.

"Kevin!" Sam cried as the five of them ran up to him. When she turned him over, she sucked in a breath.

Kevin no longer looked like a healthy sixteen year old. Instead, his back was stooped, his face was pasty, his skin was wrinkled, and his black hair had turned white.

"I still shun him," said Evan.

* * *

><p><em>Evan: he's the story's drama queen.<em>

_So what do you think about that little tidbit of the Pride's past? I feel for Sam-I'm a horrible person for putting her through so much shit, but she's a DuBaer; even if her family wasn't crazy, she'd probably be called a murderer or something else because of what they do._

_I command thee to review! Please?_


	19. Ten Year Old Warnings

Chapter 19: Ten Year Old Warnings

_To **EduTorresD**: Sorry if the fight scenes aren't up to par. I'm still a novice writer, and a lot of the fights are taken from the show. I'm trying to make them more awesome, but after posting them and reading them again, they do sound kind of flat. It may just be my style of writing, though. Also, fights in stories aren't going to have the same punch as the ones on TV; humans are a visual species, after all. But still, I'm glad you like the story despite that. It makes me happy. :)_

* * *

><p>"Just touching that thing aged him, what, sixty years?" Ben had his arms around Grandpa Kevin, who was still unconscious after he hit the time monster.<p>

Evan took a good look at Kevin and said, "Time is not going to be kind to him. Do you think Isaac will share any of his youth serums with him?" He looked at Carter, who shrugged.

"Will you guys stop that?" Gwen yelled at them. "We need to get him to a hospital!"

"And what will we tell them? 'Our friend here is really sixteen; he just had the youth sucked out of him thanks to some time monster.' Yeah, how do you think that'll blow over?" Evan shook his head at Gwen's foolishness.

Kevin chose that moment to wake up. "Get off me! What do you think you're doing?" He even _sounded_ old.

"We need to get you some help," Sam said, concerned.

"I don't need help; I need to kick that thing's ass!"

"Dude, that thing turned you into an old man," Carter said tactlessly.

"Huh?"

"Do you feel young?" Ben inquired.

"Actually, my back is killing me, my legs ache, and what's up with these shoes?" Kevin pointed to his combat boots. "Is it too much to ask for a little support?"

"He's like a real, irritable, short-tempered, crotchety old man!" Sam said, making Grandpa Kevin yell, "Why are you whispering?"

"In other words, aside from the male-patterned baldness, he's pretty much the same as ever," Evan said as he snickered at Kevin's expense. Kevin glared at him.

* * *

><p>"Since when did Ben know how to drive?" Carter asked Gwen as Ben took the keys from Kevin.<p>

"Grandpa Max taught me," Ben answered for his cousin. "And besides, it's an emergency." He suddenly glared at Kevin, who was trying to take his keys back from the teen.

"Your nearsighted, arthritic, your reflexes are shot, and you're trying to unlock a cactus."

Evan nearly burst his gut laughing.

* * *

><p>Ben sucked at driving. The trash cans he rear ended were proof.<p>

"This isn't a bumper car!" Kevin cried out warningly from the back seat.

And then the monster that turned Kevin seventy came barging through the building next to them, warbling that horrific, human-like noise again.

"Back up, back up, back up!" Carter yelled out from the passenger seat. Ben put the car in reverse and put his foot down on the accelerator, trying to get as far away from the time monster as he could.

But the monster followed, though it disappeared after Ben turned a sharp corner. It reappeared behind them.

"On your right!" Carter ordered.

Trying not to panic, Ben slammed on the brakes and made the car go sideways, and then switched to drive. He drove quickly past the thing and into an alleyway, only to have the blue and black thing follow. Ben drove through a building in hopes of getting away, getting the car dented and scratched with bricks and old glass.

"How is this car still running after that?" Sam asked Kevin, who was next to her in the backseat. Kevin would have answered, but then Ben accelerated again, making all four teens in the back jerk their heads forward.

And then Carter saw the time monster touch the car with a single tentacle- why was it always tentacles? - and the car turned from green to rust, the windows cracking.

"Not the car!" Kevin moaned. "Why is it always the car?"

There was a ramp up ahead made of broken pieces of wood and some old trash cans. Carter looked at Ben, alarmed. "You're not gonna-"

"Hang on!" Ben accelerated the car one last time, driving onto the ramp. With the speed and height, they landed on the roof of a stable building with a sound crash, the tires of the car shot, the car destroyed, and smoke billowing out everywhere thanks to Ben's awful driving.

* * *

><p>Kevin was not pleased.<p>

"You are never driving my car again!" he yelled at Ben as he and Sam carried him away from the disaster. Ben was going to retort back with something nasty, but then the car suddenly decided to commit suicide, exploding a little and leaning dangerously to the left. Ben decided that whatever he was going to say wasn't worth it.

"Where have you been?" They all turned to see the crazy scientist from before standing in front of them, holding a pocket watch. "You were supposed to be here six seconds ago. Or is this thing running fast?" The scientist poked the watch experimentally.

"Who are you, anyway?" Evan asked. He was not in the mood for more of this guy's crazy talk. "What do you want?"

"What is that creature?" Gwen.

"Can you fix my car?" Kevin.

The scientist walked up to Kevin. "There's something different about you. Is it your hair?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm parting it down the middle now," Kevin said sarcastically. "Oh, and I also got _real old_!"

"Don't talk to me about old," the scientist said creepily. "I walk an eternity."

Kevin shook his fist at him. "Well, you better start running an eternity!"

"Hmm, you might slow us down." The scientist smiled. "I need to fix that. You'll come back right over there." He pointed to the corner of the building where the entrance to the roof was. As the others stared they saw the scientist walk past it from the shadows followed by sixteen year old Kevin.

Ben and Sam looked at the space where Kevin should have been and noticed the lack of old man. "Kevin, your back!" Sam ran up to him and tackled him in a hug.

"Well, not completely," he said. "My back still hurts a little. If I just lean on you…" Sam pushed him away gently, a happy grin on her face.

Now serious, Kevin turned to the scientist. "Okay, Professor, if you wouldn't mind fixing my car…"

"And how do you expect me to do that?" The scientist looked at him like he was crazy. "I'm a time traveler, not a body shop! Regressing a car would break all the chrono-laws of space time-"

"Okay, enough, I just want answers!" Ben stopped him, getting sick of all the big words the time traveler was using.

"Same old Ben Tennyson," the scientist said fondly, reminiscing. "Though, it'll be a good thing when you grow up a bit more, for the safety of the future, which, for obvious reasons, I can't tell you about."

"You want me to hurt him?" Kevin cracked his knuckles for emphasis.

Gwen opted for the diplomatic approach. "What _can_ you tell us, Mr… Paradox?"

"Paradox!" the scientist said. "Oh, yes, that'll do. That'll do very nicely. Let me tell you my story in a way you can understand, with a beginning, middle, and end." Paradox took out his pocket watch. "Let's start in the middle."

**Flash back time! **

"_Lo Soledad was built entirely for my project, an ingenious theory. A time tunnel with the properties I discovered in quartz crystals, which would allow us access to past and future events." _

"_Well, for a genius, it looks like you really blew it-OW! Stop hurting me!" _

_"Be nice, Kevin," Sam shushed him. "Let the man talk about the science experiment he blew up."_

"_You don't know the half of it," Professor Paradox continued. "Some tiny miscalculation on my part destabilized the experiment and ripped a hole in the fabric of reality. I was hurled into the event horizon._

"_I must have spent one hundred years there. I didn't need to sleep, or eat, just…exist. At first I went mad, but after a few millennia of that, I got bored. I became sane, very sane. I began to learn."_

**End of flashback**

"I now have complete understanding of the space time continuum." The professor snapped the cover back onto his pocket watch with a satisfied click. "Allowing me to travel anywhere any-_when_ I want; within reason, of course."

The Slayers blinked their eyes. Where they just on some sort of serious acid trip? Why weren't the others acting the same way?

"So where's your time machine?" Kevin asked.

"He doesn't have a time machine," Evan realized. "He has a map in his head."

"Exactly." Paradox winked. "Oh, and in case you were wondering, none of you were, as you say it, on a serious acid trip."

Ben's team looked at Evan, who looked just as confused as them. How did he know what he was thinking?

"I know where the shortcuts are," Paradox went on, oblivious to the awkward tension he just created. "I've spent a dozen lifetimes crisscrossing the time stream, making it a better place."

"And how does that pay?"

"At the moment, not even in job satisfaction," he answered Kevin before turning away. And suddenly, they were in a classroom with old fashioned desks and a chalk board to boot. How did the Professor do that, anyway?

"I recently discovered that an extra-dimensional creature is going to wreak havoc in your universe."

"So? The way you talk, you take monsters like this all the time," Ben reasoned with the professor. "Why's this one so bad?"

Paradox picked up a piece of chalk and drew a perfect circle on the chalk board with a sideways arrow entering it. "Because unlike all the other foes I've faced over the years, this extra-dimensional creature came into existence when my experiment went awry."

"So…it's your fault," Sam picked up. "Wow. It must suck to have that on your conscience."

"This creature couldn't have been around for very long. We would know about it," interjected Carter.

"Time is like a river," Professor Paradox began to explain. "It moves and bends. Fifty years ago I accidentally set off a depth-charge into that river. The creature I released blasted fifty years through time to your present." He drew a large river on the chalkboard and then drew a large squiggly line through it. "This is what it's doing to your future."

"All its doing is messing up an old army base," Gwen pointed out. "How exactly is that bad? Why not leave it alone?"

"That's a question better answered for the man on the moon."

"Who's the man on the moon?" Ben asked.

Paradox pointed to himself. "I am!" And in half a second, all seven of them were on the moon.

"We're on the moon." For some reason, Ben was no longer surprised.

"No, we're on the moon in your distant future."

"What? How are we not suffocating?" Kevin asked. That was a pretty good question, actually.

"That's not remotely the point," Paradox told him, which earned the professor a glare from Kevin which he chose to ignore.

"I've brought you here to show you what Earth would look like in two hundred years if that time creature were to be set loose, aging everything and turning everything it touched to dust. For those of you with no imagination, the Earth is up there."

They all looked out in front of them to see the enormous Earth, but it looked _wrong_. The cerulean oceans were a bloody red, and the every single continent was a smoky gray color, showing no sign of plant or human life.

"You two can already feel the effects of the creature's destruction on the planet," Paradox told Evan and Carter.

They looked at each other before looking back at the time traveler. "Actually, no," Evan admitted. "We feel the effects just like any normal human would."

"Really? I must be thinking of different versions of you." Paradox looked back at the devastated Earth again. "A shame, though. If I fail to stop that creature, this will be the best possible version of the future. What are you doing here?" Everyone looked to see another Paradox standing just a few feet away from them.

"I'm allowing myself to feel the full impact of my failure," the other Paradox said.

"Okay, who's he?" Kevin asked, exasperated over all this time travel crap.

"I'm guessing that's a parallel Paradox," Ben answered.

"Young Ben has an innate sense of trans-temporal metaphysics, which will serve him well in his future, or should I say past." The parallel Paradox glanced sadly at the black Earth.

"And I can drive good, too," Ben said, taunting Kevin.

"We can breathe in the moon in the future but you can't fix my car?" Kevin asked, still pretty pissed about that.

"What should I do?" The Professor asked his parallel self.

"Obviously not what I did," Parallel Paradox said. "But whatever you do, you better do it quickly, because time is running out." Paradox got out his pocket watch and with a flash of blue light all seven of them were back in Lo Soledad.

"Why travel back here?" Gwen asked. "Why not travel back in time and stop the experiment from ever happening?"

"Isn't it just like an energy being to think outside temporal conventions," Paradox said with a sly smile on his face.

"I am _not_ an energy-"

"The experiment that releases the creature also un-sticks me in time," Paradox quickly explained. "And that must happen because, in all modesty-"

"You've saved the world dozens of times," Evan realized.

"Hundreds, actually. In fact on one occasion Ben and I team up together to save the entire uni-oh, never mind," Paradox stopped himself when he saw the freaked out look on Ben's face. Taking out his pocket watch, Paradox said, "It should be hear any minute…" And at just that moment a metallic, inhuman screeching noise could be heard, signaling the time creature's approach.

"You can put your watch by it," Paradox said, because everyone clearly hadn't had enough of this time crap yet. (Where did Sam keep her chainsaws again?)

Just as the creature began to demolish the building across the street, aging it into oblivion, Ben turned into Jetray. He flew up into the air and began to hit the monster with green lasers from its tail. When that didn't work, Paradox reached into his pocket and grabbed a handful of gum balls and threw it at the monster. Miraculously, it stopped moving in its tracks.

"They hit it?" Jetray asked as he swooped down in front of the monster. He asked Paradox, "Doesn't everything it touches age into oblivion?"

"Gum balls last a really long time," he said. "Check under your desk at school. Now get out of there!" Jetray flew out of the way just as the creature began to move again.

Gwen was about to use her powers to stop it when Paradox jumped in front of them all, actually grabbing the thing around its waist and stopping it in its tracks. Paradox, being the immortal that he was, couldn't age into oblivion by touching it. Instead, his body started to stretch itself out like a river, flowing in and out of proportion.

"Take us back to the accident!" Evan ordered Paradox, who was a bit tied up at the moment. He still managed to take them all to fifty years in the past in a flash of blue light; they could tell because all the buildings looked new.

"Guys, to the lab, quick!" Evan ordered. "Paradox, keep that thing occupied."

"Keep it occupied?" Paradox asked incredulously as the teens ran away. "I'm a time traveler, I don't keep things occupied!"

* * *

><p>"You sure this thing is gonna work, doctor?" the army general asked behind the safety glass. "Your time experiment has cost the US government a pretty penny." He didn't notice the six teenagers trespassing past him into the experiment room.<p>

"As to cost, I believe the alleviation of untold human suffering in history is ample justification," the human Paradox told the general, safety glasses on.

"Why would it use the phone?" Evan asked the others, whispering.

"What?" Ben asked.

"It tried to use the pay phone, then it went to the police station, then the dorms," Evan explained. "It didn't act like some uncontrollable, trans-dimensional creature. It did everything a normal person would do."

"If they suddenly found themselves in an abandoned military base," Gwen said, catching on. And then the experiment turned on, the golden quartz ring emitting a blue light from its center. Just as the light became too much, the assistant stepped back too far, damaging the controls with his elbow and making the machine blow itself up.

"Look there, the assistant!" Ben shouted over the noise. And then the experiment went wrong. Metal appliances stretched themselves out to impossible lengths as they were sucked into the event horizon, and Paradox himself was sucked into his own machine.

But that wasn't the end of it. The assistant was also being dragged in through the vacuum, and he grabbed onto the metal pillars for dear life. The blue light began emitting a white light as it tried to suck the young man in.

Ben quickly crawled towards the machine while the others hung onto the wall for their lives. "Ben! You'll get sucked in along with him!" Carter cried out as a root from the ground wrapped around her waist like a safety belt. Evan's doing, no doubt.

"I need to put on a little weight," Ben quipped as he slammed the dial down on Humungousaur. The alien reached out towards the young man, who had let go of the pillar at that point. Screaming, he felt a giant rough hand wrap around his torso. He screamed again at the monster that was saving him.

"Trust me!" Humungousaur said. "This beats the alternative!" With a last effort, he pulled the two of them away from the vacuum to safety. Gwen stood up despite Evan's arms around her and shot pink energy volts at the machine, destroying the machine and finally stopping it.

Outside, the black and blue light from the time creature slowly faded, and Paradox's old assistant was in his arms. "Hugo, of course! If it were a snake it would have bit me!"

That was when the six heroes walked up to them, Evan looking especially happy for outsmarting a time traveler. "Oh, don't look so smug!" Paradox told him. "I would have figured it out eventually."

"You had a hundred thousand years!" Evan protested as the blue light enveloped them and transported them back to their own time, leaving Hugo the assistant very confused.

* * *

><p>"I have to admit it, I'm impressed. All those centuries trapped in the event horizon and it never occurred to me that the accident <em>wasn't<em> my own fault." They were all outside the library in their present time, or in Paradox's case, the past. Or was that future?

"I'm glad that you're still as smart now as you are in the future," Paradox continued.

"Uh, thanks, I guess." Evan didn't really know what to say to that.

"Hey, what about me?" Ben demanded. "I was the one who pulled the guy out of the experiment."

Paradox sighed. "You eventually become smarter in the future."

And Ben's ego deflated yet again. The snickers his friends were causing didn't help.

"Whatever happened to your assistant?" Carter asked once she had calmed down.

"I…lived my life," said an old man with a cane, who was walking towards them. How'd he get here?

"Hugo!" Paradox cheerfully greeted him. "How are you?"

"Well, you look the same, and I haven't seen you in fifty years," Hugo said.

"Well, I haven't seen you in a hundred thousand years, but you don't look half bad." For some reason, Hugo did not act surprised at the professor's remark. He was probably used to such strange talk.

"How was your life?" Paradox inquired politely.

"Good, a good life," Hugo answered. "I'm…I'm sorry about the experiment. I ruined everything. I never got to time travel."

"Would you still like to?"

"Yes," Hugo said slowly. "I'm not afraid anymore."

"Good to hear it." Paradox grabbed his shoulder and took out his pocket watch. "How about I give you a behind the scenes look at eternity?" The open pocket watch glowed blue, and a small hole in the fabric of time opened up behind them. Paradox led the fearless Hugo through the portal, and it closed up in a flash.

"At least he's got company now," Sam said, happy for the two of them.

"Oh, and, uh, thanks for stranding us here in the middle of nowhere!" Kevin yelled out, clearly not letting that go.

"Come on, we can call someone to drive us all home," Carter said, leading the others out of Lo Soledad.

Nevertheless, they were all happy to see Kevin's car waiting for them, good as new.

"Awwww, stoked!" Kevin said, running up to the car like a child who got the toy he wanted for Christmas.

"It looks as good as new!" Sam pointed out.

"It doesn't just look like it's new, it _is_ new. Its factory new from thirty years ago." Kevin looked up at the night sky. "Paradox, I take back everything I was about to say about you."

Kevin suddenly looked at Evan, who held up a hand in a shunning motion. Kevin sighed. "What do I have to do to make you not mad at me anymore?"

"You give me driving lessons in your new car."

"LIKE HELL!"

Sam glared at him, her eyes flashing red. "If you don't, he'll whine and complain about you for a week. And that'll make me angry. Do you _want_ to see me angry?"

Kevin glared at Evan. "If you get so much as a scratch on it, I swear to God-"

"Deal!" Evan said, finally breaking the shunning of Kevin Levin.

"Hey, there's a note," Ben said suddenly, taking the slip of paper from under the windshield. "'Kevin, keep in mind that if this car comes into contact from anything else that comes from 1975, it will explode like antimatter. Enjoy! Paradox.'"

"He's kidding, right?" Kevin asked as everyone got into the car. "You know, like a time travel joke?" Kevin started the car and drove away. "Isn't it? Guys?"

* * *

><p>Kevin wasn't the only one who got a little piece from advice from the neighborhood time traveler. When Ben finally got home, a slip of paper was on his desk. In Paradox's messy handwriting, it read, <em>"Ventus has been very compliant, but soon he's going to want to take over. The Slayer Gods usually only take over when their vessels are in mortal danger. It's happened enough times for the others, but you have the Omnitrix. He's anxious to use his powers in the mortal world and see it with his own eyes. The wind cannot be contained, Ben. Tread with caution.<em>

_P.S. Do try to keep Carter from using her powers near electricity. The results could be disastrous. _

That's it? That's what the time traveler wanted to tell him? Sure it was pretty good advice, especially that bit about Carter, but what good it would do? Ventus had been pretty quiet these last few weeks. He hadn't made any demands or said anything at all.

_The wind cannot be contained, Ben._ Ben could understand why Ventus would want to take over. He hadn't been outside of his human host in years, probably not since the last vessel. But why did this particular bit of the letter sound so ominous?

_**You called for a god?**_

_Ventus! Where have you been?_

_**Oh, you know, loitering around in the astral plane, occasionally checking up on you. How's your progress with Carter?**_

_T-That's not important! I mean you don't need to know! _Ben was very glad Ventus couldn't see him blush. Besides, he had more important things to ask.

_Ventus, do you ever get tired of being stuck in my body all the time?_

_**Well, yes. I haven't been in the mortal world for so long. I want to see how it's changed. Why?**_

_Just…it seems pretty boring inside my head. Do you want to take over, at least for a few minutes?_

_**No. **_The stern tone of Ventus's voice surprised Ben. _**I can only come out when you're in mortal danger. It's too much of a risk to take over out of the blue.**_

_You sure? I promise no one will find out. _Ben tried to lay it on extra thick, since he was worried about the ominous tone of Paradox's letter.

_**Tempting, but no; it wouldn't be right. I'll talk to you later Ben. **_And Ventus signed off with that, leaving Ben to worry about the professor's note all night long.

* * *

><p>That night, Ben remembered something.<p>

_For ten year old Ben, it had been a week since the Slender-robot tried to destroy downtown Bellwood. The hype had finally died down, especially about that diamond alien that destroyed the monster._

_All week, Ben had been on the lookout for Carter Valentine, trying to find the Goth girl in town or around his neighborhood. So far, he didn't have any luck. Now it was Saturday, after Mr. Daniel's music class. Ben's mother had told him that she would be really late in picking him up, so she had given Ben some money so he could walk around town for a bit. Sandra was always worried about her son, but she figured that he would be okay, since he was usually a smart boy._

_After stashing his guitar and drumsticks in the studio, Ben walked to downtown Bellwood, looking for the hole in the road Slender-robot had created. Construction workers were finally filling it up, after a week of tourists trying to get pictures of the remnants of the alien attack._

_Ben turned to see a flash of black on his left. Eyes widening, he followed the blur as it made its way down the sidewalk. Ben nearly lost her a few times, as he had to dodge shoppers walking in the opposite direction, arms full of purchases._

_In the corner of his eye, Ben saw Carter walk into a used bookstore, some old building with a burnt-out sign saying _Powell's Used Books_. Normally Ben would have abhorred going into such a place, but he really wanted to talk to Carter and get to know her. So he went in._

_The bookstore was orderly with shelves upon shelves of books, all put in different genres. The lighting was dark, and the inside smelled a little musty. There was a cashier to Ben's left, and a bathroom in the back._

_To his right, Ben could see Carter walking into the manga section of the bookstore, all the way to the back. Without a moment to lose, Ben went after her, not even taking the time to think up some excuse for why he was in the store in the first place._

_When he got to the manga section, he was pleased to see some used copies of Ultra Boy on the shelves. "Sweet!" Ben cheered, forgetting he was in a bookstore._

_He heard a sharp intake of breath, and he turned to see Carter staring at him in shock, gripping the book in her hands so tightly her knuckles were turning white._

_"What are you doing here?" she squeaked, looking totally terrified._

_"Looking for Ultra Boy." Ben pointed to the cover. "How about you?"_

_Calming down some, Carter held up the manga in her hands. "I was looking for the next volume of _Bleach_. I've never seen you here before." Now, instead of looking scared, she looked at Ben accusingly._

_Ben was drawing up a blank, so he blurted out, "I was exploring, and came here."_

_Carter snorted. "More like you followed me. I knew someone was." She said that last bit more to herself. _

_Knowing he had been found out, Ben admitted, "I've been looking for you. I want to talk."_

_"About what?"_

_"Well, you know, who are you, how you got your powers, stuff like that."_

_"I'm not telling."_

_Ben raised an eyebrow. "How do you expect us to talk then?"_

_"Simple; we don't." Carter was full on glaring at him now, arms crossed, brow furrowed, a scowl evident on her face. It was like she was trying to scare Ben away, and she was nearly succeeding too._

_"Are your parents Plumbers?" Ben asked nonchalantly, thumbing his finger in a Ultra Boy book and looking idly at the pictures._

_"No, my grandparents are," Carter revealed, her voice barely above a whisper._

_Ben looked up from his book and looked at Carter, who wasn't glaring at him anymore, but still had her arms crossed defensively. _

_"Did they teach you how to fight like that?" Ben was referring to how she took out Slender-robot earlier._

_"Yeah."_

_"What was that thing anyway?"_

_Carter sighed. "It was a training robot for me. Something went haywire in its circuits and it went after the city. I was dispatched there to destroy it."_

_"You're grandparents must be amazing to teach you how to fight like that."_

_Carter smiled, instantly making her look less frosty. "Yeah, they are."_

_Ben blushed slightly and cursed himself for it. "W-who are they, anyway? Maybe my grandpa knows them."_

_"They go by Cordelia and Isaac Valentine. Who's your grandpa?"_

_"Max Tennyson."_

_Carter's eyes widened. "Max Tennyson is _your_ grandfather? That's insane!"_

_Ben blinked. "It..it is?"_

_"Well, yeah. Max Tennyson's famous. He's rumored to be the greatest Plumber in the Milky Way galaxy."_

_"Really?"_

_"You didn't know?"_

_"My grandpa never really talks about his Plumber days," Ben said bitterly._

_Carter cocked her head to the side in a bird-like manner. "I guess he doesn't like talking about it. Being a Plumber is dangerous work."_

_"Yeah, but its also totally awesome! You get to save the world and do cool stuff!"_

_Carter shook her head. "It sounds cool, but it's like being a police officer. You can die and leave a family behind."_

_That kind of brought Ben back down to Earth. "Oh, right."_

_Carter sighed through her nose. "How do you expect to be a Plumber if you can't remember that?"  
><em>

_Ben was instantly on the defensive. "Like you should talk. You're not a Plumber either."_

_"True, but then again, I'm not training to be a Plumber."_

_"What?"_

_"There are two branches of the Plumbers," Carter explained seriously. "There are the normal Plumbers like your grandpa, who arrest criminals and get all the glory. And then there are the Slayers, a separate branch who follows its own rules and execute criminals on the spot."_

_"Execute?" Ben repeated, not quite getting it._

_"Meaning we kill bad guys on sight. The Plumbers hate us for it, so our two groups are always fighting each other."_

_"But that's wrong! You're part of the same team; why can't we just get along?"_

_Carter smiled bitterly. "Because the world doesn't work that way."_

_"But that doesn't have anything to do with us, does it?" Ben asked hesitantly._

_Carter looked at him sadly. "We're too different, Ben. If you want to become a Plumber, you'd better stay away from me."_

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:<strong>__Oooh_,_ cliffhanger!_

_What? I can't always promise an action-packed chapter._


	20. Oh, Those Silly Forever Knights

Chapter 20: Oh, Those Silly Forever Knights

_I really hope the fight scenes are better than they were in earlier chapters. I haven't had the time to read up on action-y books, so I hope the chapter turned out okay._

* * *

><p>Carter was startled when she heard the <em>tap-tap-<em>tapping noise on her balcony window. She had been doing homework at her desk and had been so involved that she hadn't felt any presence coming up to her room.

And now it was here, separated by only a thin layer of glass.

Carter immediately summoned the gun from her charm bracelet and held it up like a cop. She crept over to her balcony and, when she heard the tapping again, kicked it open.

Carter didn't know what she was expecting. But it certainly wasn't _Ship_.

The little alien dog must have never seen a gun before, because he wagged his tail and rubbed Carter's leg like she couldn't hurt him. Not that she could ever hurt the little guy. Sighing, she willed her gun to go back to its charm form and crouched down to pet Ship. "How'd you find me?" she asked it.

The little blob elongated his head and bleated a confused, "Ship?"

"Okay, you still can't understand me." Carter thought for a moment. "Is someone in trouble? Do you have something to show me?" At the latter, Ship began to excitedly jump up and down, crying, "Ship, ship, ship!"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Carter gathered Ship in her arms and jumped off the balcony. She summoned her wings and flapped them to make the trip downward a little less terrifying. Once Carter was on grass, Ship jumped from her arms and waited impatiently as Carter put away her wings.

"Okay, what do you have to show me?" she asked. Ship jumped into the air and with a blinding green flash turned into a police car, complete with a green signal light attached to the roof.

Carter clapped her hands. "Cool! Got anything else?"

Ship immediately turned into a tractor, then a bicycle, and then a tiny radio controlled car before turning back into himself. "That's amazing! Good job." Carter crouched down to pet him and he purred affectionately. He really did act like a house pet. Carter wondered if she should buy a pet manual for the creature. She wondered at the top of her head of what he might like to do.

"Hey, Ship, do you want to go for a walk?"

* * *

><p>In an ancient, medieval castle on a hill outside Bellwood, the hypocritical Forever Knights were having a meeting.<p>

"The Forever Knights have existed for a thousand years, without a single goal," a guy with a royal red cape and a golden crown on his head said. He was standing before his expensive throne of gold with an army of Forever Knights flanking him from both sides. A long red carpet stood before him, and a single scary-looking Knight bowed his head before his king, his dark hair covering his face.

"But tonight, we stand on the brink of triumph!" The king threw his fist in the air, and his subjects roared and threw their armored fists in the air as well.

The scary-looking Knight stood up and walked towards his king as the crowd began to die down. "Everything falls on you," the king told the Knight. "Are you ready, Connor?"

"I am."

"Throughout our history we've bargained, borrowed, or stolen the most powerful weapons available." The king turned to his left, and three Forever Knights carried a large tan alien weapon that resembled a blocky bazooka towards Connor. Connor took the weapon and carried it over his shoulder, making sure the weapon wasn't aimed at any of his fellow men.

"You're the bravest of us all, Connor," the king was saying. "You've earned the right to wield this."

* * *

><p>The king, Connor, and a lowly squire were before a large metal door that led into an ancient dungeon, where the monster lived. "Aim for the heart, and hold the beam steady," the king advised.<p>

"I'll hold it steady, but how can I expect the same from the beast?"

"Don't worry, its chained." The king and the squire watched at Conner walked into the den of the dragon, large weapon in hand. They stood there, waiting, as the door closed behind the lone Knight, ensnaring him in darkness. Connor's eyes adjusted to the darkness and he quickly walked down the stairs into the dungeon.

He could see the chains, the broken metal twisted and bent. But where was the dragon? The darkness before Connor had glowing yellow eyes in them, and he could feel the hot dragon breath on his face. In a second the beast attacked, flinging the man away from him with a clawed hand and quickly going past him to escape. It easily went up the stairs and went through the metal doorway.

The squire grabbed the king and got him out of the way before the beast exploded out of the giant doorway. Connor came out with the green scaly monster, his bazooka in hand and ready to fire. But before he could fire, the dragon jumped over all the humans and crashed through the ornamental window above the throne, flapping his wings to make its escape.

Connor stood before the wreckage and watched the dragon fly away. "I swear I will destroy you," he vowed. "Whatever the cost, whatever the sacrifice."

* * *

><p>Carter, Gwen, and Ben were in Bellwood High's gym, practicing their fighting skills. Or more like, Carter was sparring with Ben while Gwen supervised the match. She had taught her cousin some karate recently, and he wanted to try it out against a martial artist like Carter. It was pretty obvious that she was going easy on him, deflecting his fists and dodging his kicks with a bored look on her face.<p>

"Can't you at least pretend like you're interested?" Ben complained as he threw his fist at Carter. She parried it and sent her palm out flat towards his face, only to have him dodge. But Ben wasn't using karate; he had moved fluidly out of the way, sweeping his feet and walking in a circle motion so that he was now behind Carter.

Ever since that Sunday, Ben had been meeting up with Phineas almost everyday after soccer practice. It had been tiring, what with aliens and school and band practice, but thanks to that, Ben would now have control over his wind powers.

Now, if only he could use them.

"Not bad, Tennyson," Carter said as she grabbed his arm and threw him over her shoulder. He landed with a hard thud on the mat, and he groaned audibly. Carter offered him a hand, which he gratefully took.

"Where did you learn that move?" Gwen asked as Ben got up.

"What move?" he asked innocently.

"You know, the one where you instantly behind Carter?" Gwen asked impatiently.

Ben shrugged. "Spur of the moment?"

Before Gwen could force Ben to elaborate, Kevin burst through the gym doors. "Ben's got a meeting!"

"Have you been hanging out with Evan? 'Cause your starting to sound like him," Carter teased him.

"I have to teach him how to drive and he can't shut up," Kevin growled. "Of course he'd rub off on me. Now come with me." He grabbed Ben's arm and started leading him out of the room.

"Who set up a meeting with me?" Ben demanded to know.

"It's not important!"

"If it's not important, then Ben doesn't have to go." Carter grabbed Ben's other arm and pulled him out of Kevin's grasp. "Who's it with, anyway?"

Kevin bit his lip. "Uh, the Forever Knights?"

"Are you crazy?!" Ben slowly stepped away from Kevin and more towards Carter and Gwen.

"What were you thinking?" Gwen yelled at him.

"Hold it, hold it, they're in trouble. They need Ben's help."

"So? They're not exactly friends of ours." Gwen had a point.

"Right, and they wouldn't be reaching out to the enemy if they didn't have a really good reason." Kevin also had a point. "Aren't you curious to find out what?"

Carter could see Ben crumbling under Kevin's salesman smile. "They paid you to come and bring Ben to them, didn't they?" she asked.

"Ah! What? That hurts! Don't you think I can do something out of the goodness of my heart?"

"How much?" asked Gwen.

"I cut them a deal; traded him for some alien tech." Kevin looked at Ben with a _Whatcha gonna do? _kind of look.

"I should have known," Ben said, some of his old childish self-righteousness showing through.

"He's got a point though," Carter reasoned. "If the Knights are so desperate that they need Ben's help, it might be worth checking it out."

As Ben and Gwen debated this, Carter could feel her phone vibrate in her boot. She quickly got it out and went a ways away from the others so she could hear better.

"The Forever Knights refuse to pay for some DuBaer weaponry," Isaac said over the phone. "Have the Pride teach them a lesson or Lucille will." The call ended; there would be more information later.

But all Carter could think about was Lucille DuBaer, the head of the DuBaer weapons industry. She was the carrier for the Kirche gene and was the most ruthless out of all the original Immortals. If _she _were ever sent on a mission, it would have to be for the absolute worst possible kind.

Lucille wasn't known as "Lucifer" for nothing.

"Carter, you okay?" Kevin asked her out of concern. "You look pale-err, _paler_, than usual."

Carter gave a weak smile. "Oh, yeah, just got word of another job. The Forever Knights owe the DuBaers' some money."

* * *

><p>The Pride was inside the castle all decked out in their usual gear, ready to start the mission. They had used shadow travel to get in, and there were few Forever Knights around. There was something going on, and Ben was about to become a part of it. He made the perfect distraction.<p>

Isaac's orders were clear: find the king and make him hand over the money, or he would be taught a lesson. If he was smart, he would do as they say.

And then they heard the sounds of someone talking and walking down the stone halls. The Pride instantly became a part of the shadows to hide until they went away. They were surprised to see Ben's team being led by a guy with bowl cut hair wearing a red tunic, talking to them like a museum tour guide.

"That's the most ridiculous story I ever heard!" Ben was saying.

"No, it's all true," said the guide in a British accent. "People believe dragons are just myths and fiction, but they're real, Ben."

The Pride collectively thought _what is this guy smoking?_

The guide led Ben and his team down the hall where all the tapestries were. He turned to it and began to tell the story depicted in the art. "A thousand years ago, a handful of knights battled a giant, fire breathing beast. They were the king's greatest warriors, but even they couldn't finish it off. All they could do was trap it and then build a stone fortress around it. Years went by, and dozens of dragon legends sprang up, and all the while the Forever Knights passed on the custody of the dragon from father to son to grandson."

The guide finally led them away from a series of tapestries. "Unfortunately, the dragon was invulnerable to every new weapon we tried on it. The latest was an alien quantum disassembler cannon. We had high hopes for it, and still do, but, well… the dragon escaped."

What the hell?

"And we want you to help us."

"You're saying you want me to help you get the dragon _you_ lost? Are you crazy?" For once, everyone was glad Ben had retained some of his childish obnoxiousness.

"I know it seems that way-"

"What if there _is_ no dragon?" Kevin countered. Kevin reached out and tugged at the tapestries. "All they've got for proof are these things-oh crap. Sorry." He looked at the guide sheepishly, holding the bit of torn fabric in his hands. The guide met his gaze calmly and didn't react.

"There most assuredly is a dragon," said a Knight with long dark hair and cruel dark eyes, walking up to the teenagers. He looked condescendingly at all of them. "You have my word."

"Ben, Gwen, Kevin, this is Connor, the greatest of all the Forever Knights." The guide looked up at his hero with admiration, oblivious to the way he was looking at them, like they were bugs he wanted to squash.

"If you have doubts, then leave. The Forever Knights don't need you," Connor said, glaring at Ben with utmost disgust.

"You're the one asking me for help!" Ben protested, making everyone wish he wasn't so selfish.

"No need." Connor straightened his back for emphasis. "The dragon will fall by _my_ hand."

"But, sir-"

Connor reared in on the guide. "You dilute the purity of our order by bringing this-this-"

"This what?" demanded Ben, ready to go alien on this creep's ass.

The guide got in between them just in time. "My lord, it's the only way." Before Connor could smack the guide for his insolence, a beeping noise sounded in the hallways. Connor and the guide went to a surveillance room with Ben's team in tow. The Pride couldn't stick around; they had a job to do.

* * *

><p>"You sure he's in here?" Sam asked Evan. They were near the throne room. They just had to get past all the Forever Knights guarding their king.<p>

"Do you have to ask?" Evan asked back, making Carter shush the both of them. They had to do this right or Lucille would come.

"Are you ready?" Carter asked. The others nodded. At once they were off, revealing themselves to the fray of Knights. Startled, the first of the knights didn't draw their swords in time as their heads were chopped clean off by swords and a scythe. Startled by the warm, sticky blood on their faces, the remaining twenty knights ran around in circles, completely unprepared for the attack. As more of their men fell to the enemies, though, they quickly got their bearings and attacked.

One knight tried to swipe at Sam's arm; she stabbed him in the heart, her broadsword going though the armor. Another tried to grab Carter; she cut his head off Grim Reaper style.

One Forever Knight tried to punch Sam; she grabbed his fist and quickly crushed it with her fingers, feeling the bones crack and break beneath the skin. The Knight screamed in pain, a horrible sound that was only silenced by a green laser shot to the head.

Another Forever Knight had his arm around Carter's waist, lifting her up in the air. Her scythe clattered to the floor. Irritated, Carter made her body as slippery as ice, easing out of the Knight's grasp like an eel. On the ground, Carter quickly turned the fingers on her left hand into icicles. When the Forever Knight raised his sword above his head, Carter stabbed through his armor into his stomach with her hand, the icicles appearing out the back. The Knight coughed up blood, and Carter slid her arm out of his intestines. The Knight fell to the ground, dead.

The king, led by some guards, was trying to run away when Evan literally swooped down in front of them. He shot the guards in the head and aimed the smoking barrel at the king. "Try anything funny and you die," Evan growled, slowly walking towards the king. Trembling with fear, the king backed up to his throne. He tried to call the other knights only to realize that his throne room was bathed in black blood, arms and legs and heads severed from their bodies, their armor having no effect against the Pride. Only two remained, kneeling in front of their king, blades tucked under their chins as the young assassins stood over them, their eyes cold.

The Forever Knights, the greatest of all human heroes, had been defeated by _teenagers_.

Bile coming up his throat, the king inquired, "What do you want?"

"We want our money," Evan answered, the gun pointing at the king's head. "You refused to pay for a certain quantum dissasembler cannon, remember?"

The king closed his eyes. "We-we'll get it. Just please, don't kill any more of my men."

Carter and Sam stepped back from their hostages, who shakily got to their feet. "Go and get the money, as much as they want!" the king ordered them. They quickly complied, running over each other as they tried to get out of the throne room.

"Hurry back," Sam called to them, her voice sickeningly cheerful. She liked how the blood would stain the stones of the throne room and never completely come out. It was almost poetic, in a really disturbing way.

Then again, the Forever Knights had it coming. They should have known better than to steal from the DuBaer family. They could have saved a lot of people if they remembered who they were dealing with.

A few minutes later, the knights came back with two metal suitcases full of cash. Evan made sure the gun was always pointed at the king's head as Sam counted the appropriate amount of money. They would just need one suitcase; lucky for the Forever Knights.

Just to be sure, Evan and Carter had their weapons out as they walked away with the money. The knights couldn't do anything, but just in case. As the shadows enveloped the Pride, they wondered if they could change quickly enough to help Ben out.

* * *

><p>Ben's team and the Forever Knights were in a grassy field outside Bellwood. The dragon, a green scaly beast with four legs and yellow eyes, had landed. The enormous monster roared at the humans, not that it scared them.<p>

"Remember," the squire/guide advised Ben, "all you need to do is stop it. Connor will take care of the rest."

"What's it gonna be this time?" Gwen asked her cousin.

"I'm thinking Humungousaur, or maybe Chromastone," Ben said. "I'm still kind of debating it."

"Well, debate faster, 'cause big, green, and ugly is coming your way!" Kevin pulled Gwen away from Ben as he saw the dragon start charging them.

Ben wildly pawed at the Omnitrix, now realizing too late that he should have decided what kind of alien he should use in the car. He slapped down the dial and was relieved to get Chromastone. He charged the dragon, which immediately shot a mouth-full of fire at him.

Ben had been lucky to pick Chromastone. He immediately absorbed the fire, realizing that it was more like a laser. He didn't dwell on it when he returned fire. The dragon shrieked as the multicolored laser hit it in the chest, nearly sending it backwards. When the laser fire ended, the dragon creaked out an inhuman, "_**You…"**_

"Weird, but for a second there, I thought you could talk," Chromastone mused as the dragon shook off the attack. In response, the dragon batted its wing and sent Ben flying. As if that weren't enough, it even shot more fire at him.

Chromastone dodged and returned fire, sending the dragon on its back. As the dragon began to fly away, Chromastone shot it with more multicolored lasers. He was so preoccupied that he didn't notice Connor shoot at the two of them with his cannon.

The shot was aimed for the dragon, but since Chromastone was too close to it, he got hit too. Both of them crouched down as searing pain raced through to their bones, making them both cry out in agony and wish their suffering would stop.

Alarmed, Gwen quickly shot an energy beam at Connor, forcing his laser to hit the hills instead. The hills exploded into a storm of dust and debris, but at least Ben was safe.

With the laser off it, the dragon flew away into the night sky as Chromastone turned back into Ben. He ran up to Connor and angrily shouted, "WHAT THE HELL?! You assholes used me!"

"It wasn't personal," Connor told him curtly. "But if you or your friends get in my way again, it will become so." He then walked away to his fellow Forever Knights.

Determined to finish this once and for all, Ben turned into Humungousaur and trapped Connor and the squire with his fingers. Pinned against the car, they struggled to free themselves but couldn't.

"You know where the dragon's headed, don't you?" inquired Humungousaur.

"If you're trying to scare us, it isn't working," said Connor. "It's going to take a lot more than a stripling with a fancy wristwatch, _right_?" That last part was aimed at the squire.

"That's right!" the squire squeaked. "We took a sacred oath!"

Humungousaur forced himself to grow twice his normal size, nearly reaching the height of a ten-story building.

"6200 Prospect Boulevard, where the 12 and 408 freeways meet!" the squire said quickly.

"What?"

"That's where the dragon's going!"

"Squire!" Connor yelled at him, but the young boy ignored him. "The Forever Knights found a relic the same time they found the dragon!" the squire explained to the alien. "They didn't know what it was or what it did, so they hid it for safe keeping! They sent the relic to our lab to see what it can do and see if they could use the technology against the dragon. We figured it was connected to it somehow. That's all I know I swear!" The squire looked away as Humungousaur shrunk back to normal size before turning back into Ben.

"Thank you!" he said as he opened the door to Kevin's car.

As they drove away, Connor glared at the squire. "Pathetic."

The Pride thought so too.

* * *

><p>The Pride, who had been listening in on the Forever Knights using shadow travel, used subspace to get to the hideout. They got there just in time to see Spidermonkey put a Galvan Universal Transmitter on the dragon. So it was intelligent after all.<p>

"Leave me alone, leave me alone!" the dragon was pleading in the busted up storage factory.

Ignoring the flames around him, Spidermonkey said, "You _can_ talk! I was right! Take that, Kevin!"

"Shut up, Ben!"

"What do you people want from me?" the dragon asked, ready to scorch some monkey hide.

"We want to help," Spidermonkey said as he turned back into Ben.

The dragon scoffed. "Right, like a _human_ can help me."

"What do you want, anyway?" Gwen asked.

"I want my ship back." The dragon looked around. "My tracking signal says it's here."

"That must be the relic the Knights must have found," Ben said without thinking.

The dragon reared his head at him. "Knights?! Are you one of them?"

"What? No! They asked me to help catch you…back when I thought you were a monster." Ben smiled sheepishly at the dragon, who glared at him.

"The Knights are the monsters! They attacked me for no reason, right after I landed! They destroyed my translator box and locked me up in that dungeon!" The dragon got all up in Ben's face. "You _sure_ you're not one of them?"

"I am one hundred percent not one of them."

The dragon finally relented. "All right, then." He began to search for his ship.

"Wait!" Gwen called out, distracting him. "You're an alien, right? What were you doing here?"

"…I was making an interstellar map. Why else would anyone come to this insignificant rock?"

"You're a mapmaker?" Ben asked, surprised.

"And a darn good one, too!" the dragon said proudly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got business."

"You're just going to find your ship and then head home, right?" Gwen asked hopefully.

"Oh, I'll be heading home all right," the dragon vowed. "Just as soon as I make sure every last one of those damn Forever Knights is dead!" He threw his head back and roared, fire and smoke escaping from his mouth.

"Is his translator box broken again?" Gwen asked out loud.

"Sorry, but sometimes a roar is a roar," Kevin told her.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Ben pleaded with the dragon. He may not like the Forever Knights, but he didn't want them massacred, either.

"They trapped me in a dungeon for a thousand years!"

"How long is that in dragon years?"

"A long time! To be away from your home, your family…" The dragon looked away from Ben. "Baby's probably flying right now."

Kevin whispered to Gwen, "You know, we don't really know this mapmaker, and we don't owe him anything, and we don't owe the Knights much either…"

"What are you getting at?"

"If we skated out of here right now, who'd say anything?"

"I would." How did Ben hear their conversation?

Before Kevin could voice his displeasure, a blast can from behind them, shaking the foundation of the building.

The Forever Knights had finally caught up.

"You go tell them that this is all a big misunderstanding," Ben ordered his friends. The dragon growled. "I mean, tragedy," Ben corrected himself. "I'll reason with the dragon." Kevin and Gwen nodded and went through the smoke to face the Knights. Ben turned to the dragon.

* * *

><p>Ben followed the dragon as it uncovered its ship, an oval like metal thing with a spiky tail at the end. It was twice the size as the dragon and glinted silver. The dragon out a hand on it, and a small part of the ship glowed yellow. The doors opened to reveal a purple interior, and the scaly mapmaker immediately got out the weapons.<p>

"Didn't think I'd need them when I landed," the dragon told Ben. "I was too trusting."

"You really don't have to do this!" Ben begged.

"I want to. You would too."

_**He's got a point, you know, **_Ventus said in Ben's head.

"You're probably right," Ben reasoned, "but I'm just a dumb kid." He actually admitted it. Thank God Kevin wasn't here.

_**You're welcome.**_

_Not now, Ventus!_

"Yes, you are just a dumb kid." The dragon aimed a pink and silver laser weapon at Ben. "So do yourself a favor and stay out of my way."

And Ben did the stupidest thing ever (and that was saying something): he stood in front of the dragon with his hands outstretched, blocking his path.

"What do you think you're doing?" the mapmaker asked him exasperatedly.

"Stopping you," was all Ben said.

_**What are you doing? **_Ventus hissed in Ben's head. _**You're going to get yourself killed!**_

_I'm going to use my head. Gwen would be so proud._

"Seriously? _You're_ going to stop me?" the dragon scoffed.

"Hey, I can turn into any number of aliens to stop you!" Ben countered. "…but I'm not going to."

The dragon aimed his strange weapon at Ben. "Well, that makes it easier for me."

Fighting the rising panic in his throat, Ben shrugged. "Go ahead. Shoot me. You'll just prove to the Forever Knights that you really are a monster."

* * *

><p>"Don't shoot!" Gwen and Kevin were yelling at the armed Forever Knights.<p>

Connor, who was at the front with his cannon, snarled at them. "Trying to save the beast again, aren't you?"

"It's really an alien; it just wants to go home," Gwen pleaded with him.

"No! It's not going to escape us again!"

"He was just making a map. He didn't mean to scare anybody!"

"Don't bother," Sam said, releasing herself from the shadows. "They're the Forever Knights; they don't listen."

"How long have you been there?" Kevin asked her.

"When Gwen started reasoning with the savages," Sam told him. Carter and Evan sniggered as they also got out of the shadows.

"Savages?" Connor roared indignantly. "The Forever Knights are a proud and noble order! How dare you-"

"Yeah, I don't care." Sam yawned for emphasis. "Can we just kick their butts already? This is getting boring."

Frustrated, Connor aimed and fired his cannon at her. Carter and Evan quickly got out of the way while Sam absorbed the laser with her hands. The Knights stared in shock as her body glowed red and her hair turned to actual fire. With her teeth sharpened into fangs and eyes like a snake, Sam looked similar to the devil, complete with that sinister grin.

"You have no idea who you're fucking with, do you?"

"Sam!" Carter called out a warning. "Don't go psycho on them!"

Sam rolled her eyes. "_Fine_," she drawled as the red aura faded and her flaming hair turned back to normal.

Evan immediately shot at one of the knights, hitting him in the shoulder. As the guy went down, his brethren went after the aliens.

One of them immediately tried to tackle Gwen, only to get shot in the head by Evan. Carter covered him as he absorbed the man's life energy for his bullets. Ice shot out of her hands like daggers and embedded themselves into two Forever Knights. Gwen knocked them both out with her karate kicks.

That just left one Knight for Kevin and Connor for Sam. As Kevin went one-on-one with the Forever Knight, Sam shot fireballs at Connor in rapid succession, blasting the concrete and shooting up debris. He dodged and tried to aim his laser at the girl.

"Right, like I'm going to be killed by my own family's weaponry," Sam snorted as she concentrated on the weapon. It immediately began to melt, metal pooling on the ground. Connor was forced to throw it down to save himself from the burning. Now he had no weapon against the dragon or the abomination before him.

And just because Connor's day couldn't get any worse, the dragon's ship exploded out of the building, its dragon like design glowing yellow. The knights could only watch helplessly as the ship left the atmosphere to go back home.

A few minutes later, after the Forever Knights ran way with their fallen brethren, Ben walked out of the storage building, a smug grin stretched over his face.

"How'd you convince him to go back?" Gwen asked him, curious.

"I used my head," was all Ben said.

* * *

><p><em>This chapter was such a pain to proofread. At least the final product is decent.<em>


	21. Museum Pieces

Chapter 21: Museum Pieces

_Remember that super special awesome note a few chapters back? Where I made fun of myself and the stereotypical fangirl? Someone thought that I liked Bevin- I don't- so I'm trying to clear this up. I was poking fun at what other people thought of fangirls by using myself as the fangirl. Does that clear it up?_

* * *

><p><strong>At the Sewer Plant<strong>

A smartly dressed man was wheezing as he ran away from the crazy people after him. He was in some sort of turbine room-he had no idea where he was, really- and he gasped for air as he hid behind one of them.

The man thought he heard a footstep. Taking out a thin alien weapon out of his pocket, he shot a few blue lasers in the direction of the noise. His hiding place revealed, the man hid his two pronged silver weapon in his pocket and ran again.

A large blue laser shot at the man's head, knocking him to the ground. In a split second, the man took out his weapon and pulled off his ID mask, revealing his true DNAlien form. He ran again as more blue lasers shot at him, bouncing off the machines with a metallic _ping_.

The DNAlien then slipped on the water flooding the floor of the turbine room, sending him sprawling to the floor. His weapon flew out of his hands and slid ten feet away from him, far out of reach. The DNAlien stood up to get it, only to have another blue laser shoot it away.

The DNAlien surveyed the dark room, but couldn't see his attackers. He ran forward, making sure not to slip this time. He turned corners, going past strange looking pipes and more water on the floor. He kept running until he hit a dead end.

Red lights appeared behind the DNAlien; a truck was backing into him. Pink loops of energy grabbed his wrists, and he struggled to break free. He was sliding towards the back of the truck, which opened to reveal a swirling red portal. The DNAlien struggled even more, desperate to get away from this portal to Hell.

Too late; with a quick yank of the coils from some unseen force, the DNAlien dove headfirst into the portal, screaming as he was gone forever.

After the screaming stopped, two aliens came out of the darkness, each carrying a pole with a pink energy rope at the end. One was a female Kinecelaran wearing an olive green vest and black cargo pants. The other was a male Tetramand who seemed rather small for his age. He was wearing the same outfit as his partner, but he had four laser guns strapped to his back, while his partner had only had two strapped to her waist.

The young Tetramand smirked at the red Hell portal where the poor DNAlien met his end. "And another one bites the dust."

* * *

><p>"Did you see the look on that DNAlien's face when he went into the cannon?" Manny Armstrong gloated as he drove the truck through Bellwood. "That was one freaked out…" The Tetramand stopped talking when his partner-in-crime refused to react.<p>

"Helen," Manny teased as one of his four arms crept toward her. He began to poke her arm like an annoying little brother. "Come on, talk to me. Helen-"

"No!" Helen Wheels yelled at him, making him shirk back from the outburst. "What is with you?" Manny complained.

"Nothing is with me! I just wish…" Helen's eyes turned downcast. "I wish Pierce were here."

Manny immediately understood. "Yeah, I know me too."

"Yeah, right."

"What do you mean? Your brother and I-"

"Argued over every mission," Helen interrupted him, glaring at him. "'Who's in charge? Let's do it this way. No, my plans better.'"

"Okay, we disagreed on a lot of things, but now that he's…" Helen looked away from Manny, her bottom lip trembling. Manny immediately swallowed whatever he was about to say and chose a different route. "I'm just doing what we agreed to do; fry every DNAlien we can find."

A beeping started, signaling there was alien activity nearby. "Where are they?" Manny asked. Helen looked at the glowing green dashboard where the map was. "There are three of them, and their back at the sewer plant."

* * *

><p><strong>Back at the Sewer Plant<strong>

Manny held up a wild locater in the air near the plant. "I can't get a lock on them," he griped. "Stupid machine!"

"Want me to try?"

"No!" Manny shushed Helen as the locator began to pick something up. On the blue grid screen, there showed three people through the building, though it only got their heat signatures instead of how they looked. The audio was scratchy, but it could pick up what they were saying.

"Are you sure you know where you're going with this, Sherlock?" the tallest one said. He sounded gruff for his age; maybe he was eighteen years old?

"How about you open your eyes instead of your mouth for once?" the second male asked back. He sounded young; maybe he was fourteen?

"Will you both be quiet?" said the female of the group. "There's probably a guard or something!" She sounded the most mature out of the trio.

"I swear there was an alien here," mused the younger male.

"Well, there's no sign of him now," said the female. The older male whistled. He was picking something up-maybe the weapon the DNAlien used earlier. "A new weapon for my collection," the older male said happily.

Manny put down the locator. "What'd he say?" Helen asked, since the audio had been really bad.

"Doesn't matter; let's dust him!"

Helen grabbed Manny's wrist before he could do anything stupid. "We can't! The eradicannon needs more time to recharge." She let go of her friend. "Maybe we should follow them. Maybe they'll lead us to a whole nest of DNAliens." Helen looked at Manny to see that he left to scale the building to attack the aliens.

"Dammit, Manny!" Helen swore under her breath as she used her Kinecelaran speed to catch up to him on the roof. Just as Manny was about to shoot at the aliens as they got into that cool Dodge Challenger, Helen appeared and snatched all four weapons out of Manny's hands.

"You never listen, do you?" Helen dropped the guns and glared at Manny.

"Their getting away!" he yelled at her.

"No, they aren't." Helen calmly shot a tracker at the back of the car from her wrist launcher, and watched as it latched itself onto the car.

* * *

><p>Helen was watching an entry of Pierce's video journal just to hear his voice. Normally she would have respected her adoptive brother's privacy, but since he was no longer here…<p>

"August 10th," began Pierce. He was dressed like his teammates, only his skin was tan and his back mullet had a white streak in the middle. Out of all three of them, Pierce had looked the most human save for the eight porcupine quills coming out of his face, three on each cheek and one above each eyebrow.

"We zapped another DNAlien," Pierce continued. "Third one this month." He showed off the amount on his fingers, revealing arms with larger porcupine quills attached to them. "Only something weird happened. We had the creep cornered. I had my energy lash wrapped around one arm. But just before Manny hooked his other one, the alien flashed a Plumber's badge. I figured it had to be fake, but…" Pierce trailed off for a moment.

"What if it was real? What if we were wrong about-" Helen didn't know what her brother was going to say next, because this was the part of the recording where Helen and Manny barged onto the roof where Pierce was, arguing.

"Helen, what is it with you? You're up here every night," Manny had said. Pierce just watched them for now. His little sister and friend didn't seem to notice him.

"Sometimes I just want to look at the stars," Helen answered back. "You know, just to wonder what's out there."

"Out there?" Manny yelled at her. "Out there is why we're all contaminated freaks! It's why we're kicking alien butt so no one else can go through what happened to us!"

Pierce, who had just been listening up until that point, gritted his teeth and frowned. "Would you two stop it?" he yelled at his teammates. "Every day it's the same fight! I can't babysit you forever, you know!" And then the recording stopped, leaving Helen to stare at a blank screen.

Helen put away her brother's video journal and just sat in the room full of stolen alien tech. Video screens bigger than Manny made up the walls, and thick black wires connected to keyboards so Manny and Helen could see alien activity from anywhere in the city.

The doors to the room slid open. "Come on," Manny ordered. "I wanna show you something." Helen followed Manny into the next room, which had a smaller screen and a few less wires, but still just as high tech.

"What is it?" Helen asked. "I fed the thermal scans from the sewage plant to one of Pierce's computers." Manny pressed a button on the computer and watched as the screen fizzled blue.

"Wow," Helen said sarcastically, clearly not impressed.

"Stupid machine!" Manny slammed his fist on the controls, actually making it work. The screen showed the thermal shots of the three aliens that had been at the plant earlier, the two males and lone female. A few seconds later, the screen showed the true forms of the creatures, revealing Ben, Kevin, and Gwen, looking normal.

"Those are aliens?" Helen asked. "They look human."

"They must be wearing ID masks," Manny explained. "I would have caught 'em if you hadn't stopped me!"

"They outnumbered us," Helen reasoned. "I stopped you from starting a fight we couldn't win."

"Pierce would have done it."

Something inside Helen snapped; a dam of emotions broke within her, and she chose the angry, hurt part of her to focus on. "No, he wouldn't! And don't you dare use him as an excuse! Pierce found all this alien crap and made it work! Pierce brought us together, and when Pierce was in charge, we were careful!" After that last part, Helen began to deflate, no longer angry and hurt, just… sad. "The one time we weren't…" And with that Helen turned away, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to break free.

Realizing his careless mistake, Manny said, "I'm sorry, okay? Tomorrow we'll track her signal and we'll take it slow." He put a few comforting hands on Helen's arms. "We'll be careful, just like Pierce would have wanted it."

Still kind of angry at her friend, Helen shook of his grasp and stalked out of the room. Manny took a moment to look sadly after her before turning to the screen where Ben's team still was. "But once we find them, we do things my way."

* * *

><p>"So you only found one piece of alien tech?" Sam said over Gwen's phone- Ben had given her his cousin's number without asking again.<p>

"Yes, but we did find footprints along with it," Gwen answered.

"Were there any traces of a fight?"

"Not that we could see."

"Bummer- wait, hold on." Sam must have put her hand over her phone, because Gwen couldn't make out what she was saying. After a bit, she came back on. "Evan wants to play with the weapon," Sam whispered. "Try to convince him that it's a bad idea."

"I do not want to play with it; I want to experiment with it!" Evan yelled over the phone.

"Either way, make sure Kevin hides it, okay?" Sam didn't wait for Gwen's answer. There were sounds of a scuffle over the line right before Sam cut the call.

As Gwen put her pink phone away, Ben asked, "What'd she say?"

"Evan wanted to see the weapon Kevin found and Sam wanted to keep him away from it," Gwen explained as best she could. "I think they started fighting over it."

"Can't blame him. It is a sweet laser." Kevin grinned triumphantly over his stolen prize, which was in the trunk of his car where all his other stolen prizes were.

"You have to steal everything you see, don't you?" Ben said, glaring at Kevin as he pulled up in front of a gas station.

"I only steal alien tech and nice things," Kevin said with his salesman smile.

Kevin's smile disappeared when a truck crashed into one of the gas pumps, tearing it off from the ground and finally crashing on the other side of the gas station. The truck began to blaze while the oil from the pump began to pool over the ground.

In a split second the heroes were out of the car. "If the gas hits that tanker, we're talking about a major bonfire!" Ben said the obvious.

"I got the driver!" Kevin said, running up to the front of the truck.

"And I got the truck! Gwen, give us cover!" Ben ordered as his cousin's hands glowed pink.

A crowd of people had gathered around the scene, and three teenagers immediately started yelling, "Why are you standing there? GET AWAY!" The crowd didn't move; they just stared at the fire and murmured about how awful it was. A certain Goth with a funny bang then yelled, "That tanker's gonna blow up and take you all with it!" Finally, people began to run away like good innocent bystanders.

Just in case, Gwen used her pretty pink mana to cut up a part of the asphalt road. She lifted it up and created a concrete barrier over the much smaller crowd, making them all scream in fear.

As Kevin ran towards the trucker, he slid his hand over the metal tank and absorbed it. "Why do I always get the easy job?" he said with a smirk as he threw open the driver's door. He grabbed the unconscious trucker and lifted him over his shoulder and began to run away. The oil from the pump had accumulated near the fire by now, and a tiny spark set the pool on fire.

Kevin, in a flash of quick thinking, veered to the right onto the road when he saw where the fire was spreading. He hit the ground and absorbed the concrete onto himself and the trucker, and Kevin braced himself as the gas station exploded.

Luckily for Ben's team, the only gas station attendant had closed up the store just minutes before the tanker collided with the gas pump.

"Your turn!" Kevin called to Ben, who slammed his palm on the Omnitrix. Big Chill rose through the air, his blue butterfly wings expanding.

Helen got there just in time to see Big Chill blow a large gust of wind onto the bonfire, turning everything to ice. Kevin let go of the driver and the metal slipped off of him.

"Nice job," Sam said, walking up to him.

"Couldn't you have gotten here faster?" he demanded to know.

"I didn't know this was going to happen, and by the time we got here, you've already taken care of it."

"Why are you here, anyway?"

"We got bored and decided to hit the town." Sam gestured to Carter and Evan, who were near Gwen. It looked like they were having the same conversation Kevin was having.

"Hey, freaks!" a voice called out to them. Kevin and Sam turned to see a young Tetramand lifting Kevin's car over his head. "Catch!" he threw the car at them.

"Not the car!" Kevin cried as Sam pulled him out of the way. "Kevin! Sam!" Carter called, only to have a Kinecelaran punch her in the face, making her see stars. "Carter!" Evan cried out, only to have the same alien punch him in the gut, making him taste blood where he bit his tongue.

Gwen, who was still there, tried to help them, only to have the Kinecelaran run in front of her. Gwen stopped, and the alien used her super speed to circle around her like a tornado. Gwen was slowly being lifted in the air, and the wind buffeted her body and threw her to and fro, making it hard for her to concentrate on her magic.

Suddenly the wind stopped, and Gwen was falling through the air, too disoriented to save herself. But Carter could; she willed some ice out of her hands and created a winding ice slide for Gwen, which safely led her to the ground.

Kevin, who had hit his head when Sam knocked him out of the way, got punched in the head again by the Tetramand. When Sam tried to stop him, he shot her with a laser, which sent her five feet away in an unconscious heap.

Helen used her super speed to catch up to Manny and his hostage. "Did you see that? They saved that guy!"

"Who cares?" Manny scoffed. "Two of them got hurt! Let's take them out!"

Helen looked back at the other aliens near the ice slide, one of them which turned back into his human form. "No, not until we talk." She used her super speed to pick up Sam and go back to the truck.

"Helen, wait!" Manny called after her, dragging Kevin by his shirt collar (he had unconsciously let go of his armor).

As Ben helped Gwen up, Carter asked, "Where's Kevin and Sam?"

They heard a retching sound; Evan had finished vomiting up water. He hugged his stomach as he stood up. "They're gone," he said in a raspy voice.

And a certain nondescript truck drove past them…

* * *

><p><strong>In Ben's Room<strong>

"…and what really pisses me off is that they took us out and we couldn't fight back," Evan said, clutching an ice pack to his stomach as he sat on Ben's bedroom floor. Carter had done her best to heal him, but she had never been good with bruises, so Evan would just have to suck it up.

"I know, we're the Pride, we're the Slayers pride and joy, we're supposed to be powerful even when we hold back, etc, etc," Carter said as she tried to heal her cheek. The Kinecelaran had left a pretty nasty cut when she punched Carter, and it had taken a while for her to clean up all the blood before she could start healing it.

"And you know what bugs me?" Ben said, pacing his room. "That alien was an XLR8. I used to be able to turn into that species, I can't just attack it!"

"None of this makes any sense!" Evan yelled out, throwing his head back like a drama queen.

"I know!" Ben said. He turned to Gwen, who had just been sitting on his bed, legs crossed like a monk. "Gwen, you can jump in at any time!"

"Shut up, doofus, I'm concentrating!" she scolded, her eyes glowing pink.

"What are you doing?" Carter asked from Ben's desk chair.

"I'm at one with the cosmic mana, feeling the energy of the universe flowing around and through me."

"Groovy," Ben joked, while Carter made a mental note to look up hippie lingo later.

"So, you can track Kevin and Sam with that?" Evan inquired hopefully.

"Wait, doesn't Sam have a Plumber's badge? Why don't you locate her with that?" Ben asked.

"We don't normally bring our Plumber's badges when we try to have fun," Carter explained. "Besides, even if she had it, there's a chance her kidnappers might have destroyed it. We can't track it then."

"Found them!" Gwen announced happily. She quickly got off Ben's bed. "Now we just have to rescue them."

"Oh, is that all?" Evan said gruffly as he slowly got off Ben's floor. He threw the ice pack to Carter. "Can you freeze that?"

Carter's glowing hand never left her face. "I'll try to later. How're you feeling?"

"I'm gonna seriously hurt in the morning, but I'll live. How's your face?"

Carter slid her hand off her cheek, revealing a pale pink line where the cut was supposed to be. "It'll fade. I'll see if I can get us a ride."

* * *

><p>"WHAT WE'RE YOU THINKING?" Manny roared at Helen. They were at their secret base with their two hostages in a yellow circular prison hovering above the floor. They only had one of those ready, so Kevin and Sam were stuck together. Sam was still unconscious, so they couldn't plan anything anyway.<p>

"We had them on the ropes! We could have nailed six monsters at once!" Manny paced around the room while Helen sat dejectedly in a chair.

"We're monsters?" Kevin scoffed. "That's rich coming from a Halloween reject like you."

Manny snarled and walked right up to the yellow energy prison, all up in Kevin's face. "Looks like the alien dirt bag wants another ass whooping!"

"Let me out of this bubble and we'll see what you got!"

"Will you both shut up?" Helen yelled at them. They both turned to her. "You sound like six-year-olds fighting on the playground!"

"I am not anything like him!" Manny and Kevin said in unison, showing everyone just how alike they were. They both snarled at each other again.

"Enough with all the testosterone!" someone yelled behind Kevin. It was a conscious Sam with dried blood flowing from her nostrils to her chin, like rust-colored rivers. When Manny hit her with that laser, it hit her square in the face, making blood pour out of it. Luckily for Sam, her constitution was much stronger than the average human, so she didn't get any broken bones from the blast. It still hurt though.

"Sam, you okay?" Kevin forgot about Manny and held Sam's face in his hands, which looked really pale than normal.

"My nose hurts like a bitch, my head is killing me, and I'm some douche bag's prisoner. How do you think I feel?"

"Like you can take on an army?" Kevin said hopefully.

Sam smirked. "And here I thought you had motor oil for brains. Now why are you arguing with the Tetramand?"

"You said it yourself; he's a douche bag."

"I am not!"

"Shut up douche bag!" Kevin and Manny immediately got in each other's faces again, snarling like animals fighting over territory. Manny suddenly put all four hands through the energy bubble and began pulling at the skin on Kevin's face, causing him pain and discomfort.

"Will you stop that?" Sam yelled at him, trying to set Manny's hands on fire, but she couldn't-she was in too much pain to concentrate.

"Manny, it's not an ID mask!" Helen said. Manny hesitantly took his hands off Kevin, who jerked away. "That's my face, you asshole!"

"Who cares? Let's just feed him to the eradicannon!"

"The eradi-what?" Kevin did not like the sound of that.

Manny smirked at him. "The eradicannon," he said slowly. "It's a disintegrator beam that turns scum like you into dust." He pointed to the truck which held the round laser-like machine, which created the red portal from Hell that ate DNAliens for breakfast.

Kevin smirked. "That's not a disintegrator, you idiot. That's a Null Void projector."

"A Null Void what now?" Manny did not like the sound of that.

"It's a mark one," Kevin noted. "Probably a museum piece; and you are a pinhead."

In a fit of rage, Manny took out his laser guns and shot at Kevin. The energy field protected him from the blasts, but the impact still hit him. Kevin fell back on top of Sam, unconscious. Sam scooted over to make some room for him-not that there was much- and said to Manny, "So he makes fun of you and you have a tantrum? Real mature, dumbass."

"I agree. Why did you do that?" Helen demanded to know.

"He was asking for it," Manny said simply as he sheathed his weapons. "Besides, he was getting on my nerves."

"Yeah, like a playground bully terrorizing his victims!"

Manny was about to yell at Sam before Helen stopped him. "What if you're wrong? What if they're not aliens?"

"You saw his powers."

"But you didn't see hers." Helen gestured to Sam. "For all we know, she's an innocent bystander."

"You heard how she talks about him. Their obviously connected to each other." Manny glared at Sam, who stuck her tongue out at him immaturely.

"I'll prove to you that their aliens," Manny said to Helen. He turned and grabbed Pierce's video journal.

"Be careful with that!" Helen said, freaking out.

"Relax," he reassured her, pressing the ON button. He brought up Pierce's incomplete list of the aliens they've fried over time.

"There's gotta be one like them in here!"

"Manny, listen to me." He looked at Helen. "That guy, whatever he is, has a Plumber's badge."

"So?"

"There was something in Pierce's diary. One of the aliens we nailed last summer had one too."

"Big deal. If he has a badge than it's a fake, just like all his dirty alien freak friends."

"I'm right here!" They turned to Sam, who was looking pretty miffed about being called a freak.

"Why did you save that driver? Why did you stop that truck from exploding?" Helen asked her.

"Uh, 'cause we're the good guys!" Sam said exasperatedly. "If we'd let that thing alone, the truck would have exploded, incinerating the driver, and probably taking out hundreds of innocent people."

"Lies!" Manny pointed an accusing finger at her. "There's no way you can be a good guy!"

"Uh, yes I am!"

"No, you're not!" Manny roared. "You're just a DNAlien! And we'll do what we do with all aliens we take out."


	22. The Power of Suggestion

Chapter 22: The Power of Suggestion

_To guest reviewer **Calvin**: I'm so glad you like the story! Now about those questions: _

_1) I made a brief mention of Ben's training with Phineas a few chapters ago. He's still training, but it's not very often because Ben has school and soccer and the band and the DNAlien thing. I will make more mentions of this eventually. _

_2) This one wasn't really a question, but I'll answer it anyway. Ventus may be stuck in Ben's head, but he wants Ben to have his own life without having to worry about some godly parent constantly looking over his shoulder (so to speak). He does talk to him, but it'll probably be when Ben's in danger or when he needs advice. Besides, Ben has the Omnitrix, which is a seriously powerful device. Ventus can't often talk because the Omnitrix is blocking him._

_3) This one is a spoiler alert: There are a LOT of Slayers, but not a lot of Slayer gods. Not all of them have powers, and some only have powers because they're related in some way to a god. Whenever the Pride or Ben use their powers, they borrow power from their godly counterpart. It's kind of the same thing when some other Slayer uses their power. And no, they're not masters yet; most of the vessels are teenagers after all. And the take over thing happens when either the vessel is in serious mortal danger or when the vessel allows the god to take over. You'll see it in this chapter._

* * *

><p>"What kind of heroes ride a hearse?" Gwen complained as James the Awesome Chauffeur weaved through traffic to get to Kevin and Sam.<p>

"The kind who doesn't have a drivers' license yet," Carter said calmly as she and Evan leaned back in the black leather seats. Unlike Ben and Gwen across from them, they had ridden in this vehicle since they were children. They were used to how ghoulish it looked against Bellwood's cheery backdrop.

"And besides, no one really considers the Slayers as heroes," Evan said almost bitterly. That made the Tennysons' stare at him. "And why not?" Ben inquired. "I mean, yes, you kill people, but your reasons are usually pretty decent."

"How are they decent?" Gwen asked hotly, completely forgetting who was in the car. It wasn't until Carter gave a not-so-nonchalant cough that she remembered. "Sorry," she said, mollified.

"Its fine," Carter assured her. "It's just that Slayers represent the evil in everyone and people don't like to be reminded of it."

Gwen raised an eyebrow. "'Evil in everyone'?"

Carter shrugged her shoulders. "Well, yeah. You know how in the past, evil overlords and bands of baddies would go around the country taking over land, raping and pillaging the towns they came across and basically being savage, brutal murderers?"

"Yeah…"

"That part of humanity never went away; it's in our DNA. Humans are capable of committing the evilest crimes, the vilest acts. And for what reason? Maybe they were bat shit crazy; maybe they didn't like someone; or maybe they just had a real bad case of indigestion. Humans don't need a reason to give into their dark side, they just can. They can take lives without a second thought and not give two fucks about the consequences. And that's what Slayers are. We are the representation of madness and evil, and we are hated for never bothering to hide it."

Evan continued on. "You see, people hate getting reminded of how evil they can be, so they direct their anger at us. And we let them. As the representation of the dark side, we let them hate us because humans are supposed to abhor their dark sides. And I'm not just talking about humans; I'm talking about _every single person in the universe_. No matter how advanced a species is, no matter how peaceful it is, no matter how against violence they act, every single person is capable of unspeakable evil, and they _hate_ us for reminding them." Evan smirked at the Tennyson cousins. "Does that answer your question?"

Gwen averted her eyes as quickly as she could. This was a lot to take in…but it made a lot of sense. The Slayers assassinated people for decent reasons, but the Plumbers hated them because...because they wanted to do it themselves! If what Evan and Carter said was true, then all the Plumbers had a dark side that was telling them to kill all the notoriously despicable criminals, but they forced themselves to listen to their good side so they wouldn't have blood on their hands. And they hated the Slayers for shirking their consciences in favor of the madness in them.

Gwen took a risk and looked at Evan and Carter. Carter was looking coolly at them, legs crossed and hands clasped like a queen. Evan also had his legs crossed, hands clasped together, but he was smirking, a nasty thing to see on his face. Gwen was so used to him being a dramatic goofball that it was unnerving to see him so serious and arrogant.

"Um, question?" Ben was waving his hand in the air like he was in school. "If what you said is true, then why is Cordelia trying to bring the Slayers and Plumbers together?"

That was news to Gwen. She turned to Carter, who was frowning. "I'm not sure what Cordelia is thinking, exactly. She's kind of…unstable."

"Unstable," Gwen stated in a flat voice.

"One minute she's a parent who fails at being a role model and who tries in her own way to be a warm person, and the next she's planning something that could destroy the whole world as we know it."

"Yep, definitely unstable," Evan joked, the nasty smirk off his face. Whatever tension Gwen felt left her immediately. She had missed the Evan she knew.

* * *

><p>"Aliens headed this way," Helen announced after she looked at the scanner. Manny spun his laser guns in his four hands and put them into their holsters on his back. Smiling, Helen used her super speed to grab her own gun and an energy lass.<p>

"Okay," Manny said, grinning. "Let's move out."

A few minutes later, Helen and Manny were outside their headquarters. "How close are they?" Manny asked Helen.

"Aw, where you waiting for us?" Evan mocked from twenty feet away. Ben and his friends had arrived, and they did not look happy. Except for Evan, who had that annoying smirk on his face.

"Now give us back our friends and no one gets hurt," Carter warned as Gwen's hands glowed pink and Ben's hand hovered over the Omnitrix threateningly.

Manny and Helen immediately started shooting at them, and Gwen created a shield to cover them. Evan took a deep breath, spread out his legs and brought his hands up, palms up to the sky. On Manny and Helens side, the earth underneath them shook, and under Manny's feet a pillar of rock was created, lifting him screaming up into the air. Helen watched helplessly as the pillar zoomed towards the sky.

But Manny wasn't about to give up. With some quick thinking he shot a laser at the end of the building where Ben was, hooting triumphantly as a part of the building crumbled and landed on his head.

"Ben!" Carter and Gwen cried out worriedly as the boy fell to the ground, unconscious. Carter immediately swooped down to heal him as Gwen returned fire, blasting Helen with a beam of bright pink energy and making her crash to the ground.

Manny jumped down from the huge pillar and started blasting at the shield, creating large cracks that Gwen desperately tried to fill.

* * *

><p>Inside headquarters, Kevin was beginning to wake up. He could see with his bleary eyes Sam cradling his head in her lap, her face no longer caked with dry blood. "What happened to your face?" Kevin slurred.<p>

"That Helen girl gave me a rag." Sam slowly helped Kevin up by holding his hands. They could hear lasers and the sounds of fighting coming from outside. "Weird; Carter and Evan should have infiltrated this place by now," Sam noted anxiously.

"In other words, our rescue team needs rescuing." Kevin looked at the bottom of their cell and smiled. He turned to Sam. "You got any metal?"

Sam willed out her shield from her bracelet and strapped it onto her arm so it was covering her entire torso. "How do you do that?" Kevin asked.

"I bend energy into these charms and out pops a weapon. It's basic Slayer tech." Sam held out her left wrist, which held a charm bracelet with six charms: two broadswords, a gun, a ninja sword, a carving knife, and a chainsaw.

"Cool," Kevin remarked.

"Slayer metal is some of the best in the universe," Sam said proudly. "You can use it in battle numerous times and it almost never gets damaged."

"Nice!" Kevin immediately touched the cool metal and absorbed it, completely coating his entire arm. He punched the bottom of the yellow energy cell and bolts of energy swarmed his arm. Sam willed her shield away and wished she could conduct the energy, but since it wasn't a heat source…

Ignoring the pain, Kevin grabbed the canister that was spilling out the energy and crushed it, destroying the prison around them. "Four armed freak isn't the only tough guy around," Kevin gloated as he got up. He turned to Sam. "Ready to bust some heads?"

You seriously have to ask?"

* * *

><p>Sam used her powers to create a small explosion, destroying a part of the wall and leaving a gaping, smoking hole. When she walked out, she saw a rock shield covering Gwen and the others, and Evan was launching rocks at the bad guys when he wasn't dodging lasers.<p>

But when they heard the explosion, Helen and Manny ignored him and turned to gape at Sam. "'Sup, bitches?" Sam said, slowly walking towards them, her eyes glowing red.

"I told you she was a freak!" Manny yelled at Helen. The two of them immediately split up, Manny after Sam and Helen after Evan. But Sam's entrance had given Evan enough time to say a certain spell. "_Herbarum virtus mundum (Create a world of plants and power)!" _

Instantly flowers started blooming around Helen, their sudden appearance distracting her. The flowers grew in size, their stems elongating into vines and wrapping around Helen's ankles. Unable to speed out of there, she shot at the vines, only to have the destroyed ones taken over by more flowers. Helen began to scream as the vines wrapped around her waist, slowly creeping up to her neck.

Evan, tired after saying such an intense spell, retreated to the rock shelter he created to cover Gwen and Carter as the latter fixed Ben up.

Manny would have gone to Helen's rescue is Sam wasn't trying to roast him. She was laughing slightly as Manny dodged fire bolts. An armored Kevin grabbed her arms and stopped her from firing any more. "Sam, your kind of scaring me here."

"But I thought you didn't like him."

"I don't, but your acting crazy."

Sam bit her lip and looked away from him. Damn it, she had let loose again!

_**I don't see what the problem is, **_Kirche drawled in Sam's mind.

_I don't want Kevin to see me go crazy!_

Kirche sighed audibly. _**You're nowhere near crazy, sweetie. And if he doesn't like you for who you are, then dump his ass.**_

_But-_

"Sam?" Kevin asked as his girlfriend went silent. Manny was getting out his lasers. "Go and beat him up," Sam told Kevin as she walked towards the sidelines. Kevin was supposed to go and see what he did to make her so upset, but he was too busy looking forward to kicking Manny's ass. As Kevin laid into him, Sam went to check on her friends.

"I have got to start wearing a helmet," Sam heard Ben say when he finally decided to wake up.

"You'd look silly if you did that," Sam said as she took in her rescue team. Evan and Ben looked pretty weak, one from his injury and the other from his spell. Only Gwen and Carter looked like they could fight.

"You okay?" Sam asked Carter, who would normally be pretty tired after a healing session.

"I'm fine; head injuries aren't a problem for me," Carter said, answering Sam's hidden question. "But do we have to?" The girls looked over the rock shield to see Helen panicking as the vines finally wrapped around her arms. The vines tightened themselves like ropes, and Helen fell to the ground in a full body bind.

Only Kevin looked like he was having some trouble with Manny. The Tetramand had four hands to Kevin's two, but Kevin was a lot stronger than his opponent. It was a total deadlock with no winner in sight.

At least, until they saw Evan slowly walk towards Manny. The girls looked behind them to see only Ben back there, still resting. "What is he thinking?" Carter hissed as she watched Evan. "He's too weak to use a spell so soon!" She shot out of the shelter with Sam right behind her, trying to catch up to Evan before he did anything stupid. Gwen helped Ben up and they slowly made their way to the others, wanting to get there in time in case anything happened.

After Kevin slammed Manny into the wall, he accidentally broke the bricks, making a part of the wall fall and narrowly miss Evan. "Evan, get out of here!" Kevin shouted, alarmed. But Evan wasn't listening. He was muttering something under his breath; another incantation?

Manny got out an alien device and activated it, making the truck with the Null Void projector come towards him. The back opened, revealing the red, swirling portal to Hell. Papers and other clutter were getting sucked into it like it was a vacuum.

As quick as lightning, Manny grabbed Evan and held him like a shield. "Nobody move," he said slowly, right before he threw the boy into the portal using all four arms. Evan went headfirst into the portal, but he didn't scream. In fact, he looked determined.

Not that it comforted the others.

"NO!" Everyone cried out. Kevin tried to tackle Manny to the ground, but the Tetramand was too quick. He ducked out of the way and made a grab for Helen, who was struggling to free herself. Sam's hair lit itself on fire and her teeth turned into fangs. "Don't bother, it doesn't change a thing," Carter said hopelessly. She looked like she was trying not to cry.

Like that would stop Sam. Or Ben, who was trying to get out of his injured fog and was pawing at the Omnitrix.

As Helen began to free herself, Manny gloated. "It may be a museum piece, but it gets the job done."

And then he saw the hands coming out the portal. They gripped the sides, and a man hoisted himself out of the projector. He looked like Evan, but he was an adult wearing a green toga and Roman-style leather sandals. A purple cape was draped over his shoulders, and a Civic Crown of oak leaves was in his brown hair. Instead of Evan's usual ponytail, his hair was down, with a scruffy beard on his face. His entire body looked like it was chiseled out of rock, and instead of dark forest green eyes, his eyes were brown, wise with age.

Erda had taken over.

"Who are you? Where's Evan?" Gwen asked Erda. He slowly looked at her, and she suddenly couldn't look him in the eyes. They looked aged and earthy, like he had seen too much for a man in his late twenties.

"Evan is fine. I've taken over for him," the leader of the Slayer gods spoke, his voice prim and deep. He looked at Manny and Helen, who were gaping at him and just standing there like sitting ducks. Erda frowned at them. "This won't take long."

Manny, too hotheaded to realize who he was dealing with, immediately tried to attack him. Helen, being the smarter of the two, yelled, "DON'T!"

But Manny wouldn't listen. He was about to punch Erda, only to have him block it with one hand. With his other, he grabbed the Tetramand by his collar and hoisted him up, feet dangling from the ground. Erda easily threw Manny against the wall, making the wall crack from the impact.

Erda turned to Manny, eyes glowing green. The ground rumbled beneath them, and pieces of earth lifted themselves from the ground, some the size of pebbles, others the size of small cars. Even the fallen bricks from the headquarters building followed its brethren into the air. Hundreds of them were surrounding Manny, ready to impale the frightened Tetramand.

Suddenly, the ground stopped shaking, and the thousands of rock fell to the ground with a large crash, creating a thin smog of dust. Once it cleared, it showed Erda smiling at Manny, who looked ready to pee his pants.

"Are you willing to talk now?" Erda said to Manny.

* * *

><p>"So we're all aliens?" Helen asked Ben after he explained everything. Everyone was crowding around them, weaponless and with armors off, though Erda was still in control of Evan's body.<p>

"Kind of," Ben admitted. "One of your parents must have been human. The other…not so much."

"Yeah?" Manny said gruffly. "Then how can you switch back and we can't?"

"Luck of the draw?"

"Look at it this way," Kevin said. "Your human version is probably even uglier."

Manny got all up in Kevin's face and spat out, "You wanna go another round?"

"Anytime!"

Helen used her super speed to get near Sam. "Tell your boyfriend to back off!"

"I'll tell my boyfriend that when you tell _your_ boyfriend to back off!"

"He is not my boyfriend!"

"Think you're a comedian?" Manny.

"You sure act like one! At least you got the face for it!" Kevin.

"Boy, you are really asking for it!"

"I'm begging for it! Who's gonna give it to me?"

"Me, with three hands tied behind my back!"

Ben, seriously irritated, shouted, "Will you all stop? You're acting like kids! What am I, your babysitter?"

"You sound just like my brother," Helen said wistfully.

"Really," Gwen said skeptically.

"Pierce was the one who always kept us grounded," Helen continued, completely ignoring Gwen. And then she disappeared, only to come back with a video journal in her hands. "This is what he was talking about." Helen pressed the ON button, and everyone could see a picture of Pierce on the screen.

It immediately cut to a list of aliens he and his adoptive family had "destroyed" over the years. "You captured a bunch of other aliens besides DNAliens?" Sam asked.

"We didn't know it at them time," Helen explained, handing her the journal. Sam held it out to Ben and the others and asked, "You recognize any of them?"

Ben looked at a few of them and announced, "Some of these are Plumbers' kids, just like you." He handed the journal back to Helen, where it belonged.

"Okay, in that case we have to go into that, uh, what did you call it?" Helen inquired.

"Null Void," answered Kevin.

"Right, Null Void. We'll find the ones we captured and free all the ones who shouldn't be there." Helen looked at Manny.

"Not a chance!" he said.

"Well, Manny, I'm doing it, whether your coming with me or not."

"What, why?"

"Because it's what Pierce would do."

Manny sighed, and then smiled. "All right. For Pierce."

* * *

><p>After getting ready, Manny and Helen stood aside the Null Void projector with Ben's team plus Erda watching them leave. As the projector sprang back to life, Helen said a final goodbye. "Thanks, and sorry about, you know…"<p>

"Apology accepted," Kevin said with no hard feelings.

"Be careful!" Carter called out to them.

"And good luck!" said Erda right before Manny and Helen jumped into the portal. In a flash of red light, they were gone. Erda took the chance to switch back into Evan, creating such a bright light that everyone had to close their eyes, lest they be blinded.

When they opened their eyes, they saw an empty projector with no Manny and Helen nearby. "That is _so_ not gonna go well," Kevin said what everyone was thinking.

"I don't know," Carter said. "On paper, the six of us don't make such a great team either."

"True. Now if you excuse me, I'm gonna go swipe some of their equipment." Kevin turned around and nearly stepped on a sleeping Evan, who was curled up on the ground like a cat.

Gwen turned to Carter and Sam. "Mind explaining to us what that was all about?"

"That was Erda," Sam explained. "I guess you can say he's Evan's final form."

"Evan is a container for a large body of power," Carter continued. "And sometimes, when he's panicking, it…comes out of him and takes over his mind, becoming the emperor you saw earlier."

"Emperor?" Kevin asked.

"Well, yeah. Didn't you see the crown on his head?"

"Must have slipped my mind." Kevin knelt down to Evan and nudged his shoulder, trying to shake him awake. Evan groaned and tried to roll over onto his other side, a gesture that clearly meant _five more minutes, mom!_

"Don't bother; he's not waking up soon." Sam walked over to him and picked Evan up as gently as she could. Cradling him in her arms, she announced, "I'm taking him back to the hearse. Kevin, I'll go call someone to get your car. I don't think it's too damaged from Manny's attack. I'll see if I can get it over here."

"Awesome," Kevin said, walking away to the headquarters building. "Are you still going to through with that?" Carter asked him rhetorically.

* * *

><p>It was about an hour later. Someone had collected Kevin's car and brought it over to Manny and Helen's headquarters. Carter and the others left with Evan in the hearse; she would make sure everyone got home. Sam had opted to stay with Kevin. Besides, only four people could fit in the back of that hearse.<p>

"You didn't have to stay with me, you know," Kevin said as he put the last of the stolen equipment in the trunk of his beloved car.

"It was too crowded in the hearse, and Evan needs all the room he can get," Sam answered casually.

Slamming the trunk closed, Kevin asked, "Are you mad at me?" Sam looked at him, bewildered. "Why would I be mad at you?"

"I don't know, you just seem mad."

"Well I'm not mad." Sam looked away. "I'm not mad," she said quietly, almost like a whisper. Raising an eyebrow, Kevin stood next to her as she leaned against the car. "Do you want to talk about it?" He remembered Carter's fevered speech from a while ago.

"Do I scare you?" That took Kevin by surprise. He was about to joke about how she was really scary when he saw the terrified, deer-in-headlights look she was giving him.

"Yeah, you scare me. But only when you're angry."

"And today, when I wasn't angry."

"Okay, well, yeah." Kevin stopped. "Wait, how were you not angry? You got kidnapped."

"Something like that isn't important to me."

"_What?_"

Sam stared at him. "Dude, I'm a Slayer. No matter how bad the situation is, I'm supposed to remain calm. And besides, my element is fire. If I'm not calm, I could accidently do a lot of damage."

That would explain the lack of emotion she showed normally. "So, if you weren't angry, what made you try to barbeque that guy earlier?"

Sam bit her lip and looked at the night sky. "I wanted to see him hurt."

"So did I."

"But you had a reason."

"And you didn't?" Kevin couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Look, Sam, I don't get what you're sayin' right now-"

"I'm probably insane."

Well, that came out of nowhere. Kevin could hear Carter's words ringing in his ears, how Sam might have convinced herself she was crazy all because some childhood bullies called her that. "You are not-"

"I have ancestors who were crazy." Kevin didn't know what to say to that. Instead he listened.

It took a minute for Sam to open up more; she was still staring at the constellations in the sky, like she was refusing to look at Kevin. "Some of my family's history is muddled, but there are stories about how some of them went insane and started doing arson. There's no proof, but when you live in a town where all the families know each other and everyone knows about you before they even get to know you, the parents tell the kids and the kids make you suffer."

"Kids are cruel," Kevin said softly.

"You have no idea. They called me names, but the one that stuck was 'Psycho.' And they always called me that; there was no end. It didn't matter if I told them to stop or if I told a teacher, they wouldn't stop. Who wanted to help a DuBaer anyway? Well, Carter and Evan did, but they were in the same boat as me. We had to stick together.

"And sometimes I wonder if they're right, if I really am some insane person who's waiting to break out and kill people. I've already been tested and everything, and I hate the idea of hurting innocent people, but let's face it, the power of suggestion doesn't just go away." Sam looked at Kevin now, and he was surprised to see how calm she looked. There was no anger or sadness in her eyes, just a brutal acceptance.

"Sam, you're not insane," Kevin said. "You just said that you hate hurtin' innocent people. If you really were crazy, you wouldn't think that way. Just because some old family member decided to do arson doesn't mean you'll do the same."

Sam thought for a moment. "Yeah, I figured."

"See-wait, what?"

"I've had a long time to think about this, Kevin. I've even been_ tested_ _for insanity_, for Christ's sake! If that wasn't a pretty good indicator, I don't know what is."

"But you just said-"

"The power of suggestion, Kevin. Even if I know I'm sane, it doesn't mean the thought just goes away."

Kevin groaned and pulled Sam in for a hug. "You are so confusing sometimes."

Sam giggled. "I know."

* * *

><p><em>So, <strong>Calvin<strong>, does this answer all your questions? I hope it does, because I don't like revealing spoilers. __Now, I have a question for you: Why don't you get an account? That way I can PM you all the answers to your questions and you don't have to wait two weeks for the next chapter._


	23. Hot Sauce and Boring Vanilla Ice Cream

Chapter 23: Hot Sauce and Boring Vanilla Ice Cream

_I had no intention of making this chapter so long. It just kind of happened._

_Anyway, this chapter is filler, but it follows up on one of Paradox's warnings. You have to read to find out which one. Its also got some romance in it-I know some of you have been waiting for that. To be honest, I don't know much about teen relationships besides what I've seen and read, so I hope I did okay._

* * *

><p>Sam woke up the next morning feeling great. She found it surprising how Kevin reacted when seeing her house.<p>

"_You're not surprised?" Sam asked. Kevin had just driven her home after the battle with Manny and Helen, even though she said that she would be fine. _

_"The guy has to drive the girl home. It's a rule," Kevin had said, smiling adorably._

"_How chivalrous of you."_

"_I try." And with that, Kevin drove her home. He didn't seem surprised when she directed him to Sterling Hills-Carter or Evan must have told him- but he did think it strange to see a Japanese-styled house in America._

"_Did your family build it like this or what?" Kevin asked her as he parked the car in the stupidly long driveway._

"_No, the DuBaer family bought from this Japanese physicist a long time ago," Sam explained. "He built it like this to remind him of home, and since it looked so cool, my family never bothered to change the outside."_

_The two of them got out of the Dodge Challenger and stood in the dark, staring at the driveway lights as the shadows leered at them. "Come on, I'll walk you to the door," Kevin said, slowly leading out of the driveway._

_Sam followed with an amused look on her face. "I didn't think guys did that anymore. Usually they just watch from the car as their dates entered the house."_

"_Yeah, well, if you haven't noticed, I'm kind of old fashioned." They cut across the well-kept lawn to the front door, shortening the distance. The gigantic front door loomed at them as the young couple stood in front awkwardly._

"_I'll call you tomorrow?" Kevin said, trying to fill the silence. _

_Sam gave a coy little smile.__"I'd like that." She opened the door and walked inside. Kevin waved goodbye as she gently closed the door shut. It took him a moment to pry himself away from the door, since he was kind of regretting not kissing Sam while he had the chance. Then again, they had just recently started dating-they shouldn't take things too fast, at least in Kevin's opinion._

Sam was a little disappointed when Kevin didn't do something on the porch last night-couldn't he had at least hugged her? But she could wait; if Sam was right, then she would have to until Kevin took the initiative. Hopefully he would do it before Sam got impatient.

Sam got up from bed and nearly tripped over a pile of clothes. Unlike Evan and Carter's rooms, Sam's room was a disaster zone. Her bed was usually unmade, her desk was a mess, and piles of clothes usually littered the floor. A little Japanese table was under the windows, posing as a vanity table for all of Sam's cosmetics. Though the tubes of lipstick and mascara usually fell off and contributed to the collection on the floor. Her closet was no better either; it supplied both clothes and a dresser, but everything was in no particular order-not by season, not by color, not even by garment.

Sam's room was chaotic, just the way she liked it.

Sam quickly dressed and went into the bathroom to brush her hair and teeth. She had to hurry; there was no way she was letting Charlie sleep away a three-day weekend like this.

Sam briskly walked across the hall from the bathroom and banged on Charlie's door. "Wake up, I'm getting breakfast ready!" she yelled through the door. She could hear the signs of a creaking bed and a human groan. Charlie never was a morning person, but he usually listened to Sam.

Sam walked through the house, a masterpiece of warm autumn colors, full of browns and reds and oranges. The house was brightly lit, and on the hallway walls were pictures of family gatherings-summer barbeques, spring picnics, and winter parties. Due to their families being so close, Carter and Evan and their families were often in the pictures as well.

There were hardly any pictures of Sam's parents in them.

Sam walked into the state-of-the-art kitchen, which had a red refrigerator, a silver oven, a black microwave, and clean granite counter tops with a kitchen island for eating. Sam got out some eggs, turkey bacon, and bread and started to make breakfast.

As the bread cooked in the toaster and as Sam started on the eggs, she thought about how weird it would be if some of her old classmates saw her. The definition for psychotic was: a personality disorder characterized with shallow emotions, lacking empathy, cold-heartedness, being manipulative, irresponsibility, and anti-social behaviors. They would obviously think that Sam couldn't possibly care for anything, that she couldn't possibly take care of herself or her family. Of course, Sam probably knew on a subconscious level that she wasn't psychotic-she had been tested numerous times- but people like the bullies from Sam's childhood would never listen.

Besides, someone had to fill the parental role in Charlie's life. Ever since Todd died, the parents had been distant. Sure, they often kept in touch to check up on their remaining kids, but they were never really around due to work and other issues. What those issues were, Sam didn't want to know.

Unfortunately, when they finally had time to spend with their kids, Alexander and Irene DuBaer had a rather odd view on how to spend it. Whenever they came home, they usually went to the country club to schmooze with the other rich parents, leaving the kids alone. And ever since Sam was thirteen, her mother forced her to go on dates with the sons of wealthy mothers so the companies could be on friendly terms.

Sam had thought it would be okay, but sweet Kirche, were those boys egotistical bastards! Seriously, they didn't give a damn about the world economy or how politics played out; all they wanted to know was whether Sam liked their new Ferrari and when the next party was on their parents' yacht. Oh, sure, they flattered Sam with compliments and showered her with expensive gifts, but they treated her like a trophy they had just won: good to show off to friends and to cast aside later. At least when Sam voiced her displeasure over dating those creeps, her mother listened and gently broke it to the parents. And if the boys continued to bother her, Sam's dad scared them off.

_**The food's burning, **_Kirche drawled in Sam's head. Sam sniffed the air to see that the goddess was right. She had been so preoccupied that she nearly destroyed breakfast. Whatever; Charlie would eat anything.

Charlie walked into the room just as Sam turned off the stove. Charlie looked a lot like Todd at thirteen: messy, short, fiery red hair like their sister's, copper brown eyes flecked with green, pale skin with freckles, and a lean, almost stick like body like their father's. Only difference was their personality. While Todd had been calm and mature, Charlie was in the throes of adolescence, one minute immature, the next trying to act like an adult to impress people.

"Is something burning?" Charlie asked as he grabbed a plate from the cabinet.

"No," Sam answered curtly, even though he knew she was lying. Charlie yawned and tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes with his red sleeve. Charlie was dressed like a skater Goth: black ACDC band t-shirt over a long-sleeved red shirt, baggy black pants with black basketball shoes, and a black beanie covering his flaming hair.

"Do you know when the 'rents are coming back?" Charlie asked before shoveling food into his mouth.

"Don't put so much food into your mouth at once, you'll choke," Sam chided him. He stuck his egg-covered tongue at her. "And I think we'll Skype tomorrow."

While it was no lie that Alexander and Irene were rarely home, it didn't stop them from wanting to know every little detail that happened in their children's lives. They sent there support from overseas, and almost always made it to birthdays, holidays, and other special events.

And for Sam and Charlie, that was good enough.

* * *

><p><strong>That same morning...<strong>

Ben woke up again in the healing pod in the Carmichael manor, feeling like a million bucks. For the past few weeks he had been training secretly with Phineas in the time pocket, and now Ben could produce lightning the size of a tennis ball in his hands without passing out. He could only do that for a few minutes though. Thanks to the Omnitrix blocking Ben's natural powers, he couldn't really summon any impressive feats of power without seriously draining his energy. He would have to work on that.

After Ben got out of the healing pod and put on clean clothes, he met Carter outside the metal door so they could go the temple that Ben couldn't get into. After he started his training with Phineas, he had technically been allowed to enter Ventus's temple, but Ben had been so busy with school and alien attacks and soccer that it slipped his mind.

And now Carter was leading him to the great blue building with the domed skylight for a roof and lightning bolt-shaped rods surrounding the building, giving off multicolored light. Ben was almost shaking in anticipation. He expected the invisible force field to stop him, but he walked up to the front steps with Carter easily.

"Well?" Carter gestured to the door. Ben took a deep breath and pushed open the great oak doors, listening to the hinges creak slightly as they revealed the inside.

It was breathtaking: murals of Ventus and his many great adventures covered the walls, and a single white throne with lightning bolts painted on the sides stood at the back on a stage. Tables full of offerings were pushed to the side, and the skylight lit up the place, making it even more impressive.

Carter walked up to the throne and kneeled before it, putting her hands together in prayer. Ben didn't know what to do except copy her movements. He tried to pray, but he didn't know what they words were.

Carter stood up after a minute. "Do you feel it?"

Ben also stood up. "Feel what?"

"The power. Do you feel the energy this place is giving you?"

Now that she mentioned it, Ben _did_ feel more charged ever since he walked into the temple. It was like this building was giving him an energy boost, like he could take on an army.

"Do you feel it?" Ben asked Carter.

She shook her head. "Not in here. I only feel the power boost in my own temple." She thought for a moment. "I wonder if Ventus's followers feel it too."

Ben blinked. "Followers?"

"No one told you?" Carter answered her own question. "There are only roughly a hundred Slayer gods and, like, thousands of Slayers, so naturally most of them won't have a god in their head. But some people, like Sam's little brother, could have some sort of power thanks to genetics. The gods give them power because they were born in that family. And some families are tied to certain gods, and they're the ones who take care of the temples and pray to that god specifically."

"Huh. I never thought of that," Ben admitted. Struck with a sudden idea, he went in the middle of the room. "Let's see what I can do in here."

"Ben, that's dangerous," Carter warned him.

"But you can protect yourself, can't you?"

"Yeah, but I'd rather not use my powers."

"Then just stay off to the side." Ben pointed to the offering tables. "If it gets out of hand, you could use the tables as a shield. I'm sure Ventus wouldn't mind."

_**Actually, I kind of would,**_Ventus grumbled in Ben's head. The teen shushed him as Carter went over to the left, behind the tables.

Ben breathed in deeply and spread out his legs slightly in a stance. He put his arms out and imagined a tennis ball-sized ball of lightning to appear in both of his palms. A crackle of electricity sounded, and Ben put the two balls together, squishing them into one.

And then he aimed and threw the ball lightning at the glass roof, waiting until it just almost hit the glass before forcing the ball to break into lightning shards and making it rain harmlessly around the room.

Carter was clapping her hands, impressed with the display. She didn't notice the bowl of blessed water next to her when a shard of lightning hit the water. Using the water as a conductor, it bounced off and hit Carter, who didn't see it coming.

Carter yelled in shock and fell to the ground, her body contorting from the spasms. Ben was instantly at her side, watching as she first jerked her limbs around and then just go still, eyes open and dilating, her breathing drawn out and wheezy.

"What do I do?" Ben muttered to himself as panic began to take over his mind. His thoughts were starting to become short and rapid, sweat pouring off him as he raked his hands through his hair in a desperate attempt to help himself think.

_**Calm down!** _Ventus barked at him. _**Unlike most people, her heart destroys itself when struck by electricity. We don't have time to get medical help. Just do as I say and she'll live.**_

_What do I do?_

**_Put your hands on her and suck out the extra lightning out of her._ **

Ben put shaking hands on Carter's arm and imagined the lightning jumping out of her and into him. He could instantly feel the electricity rush through him, warming him and making his hands stop shaking.

_**Stop, or you'll kill**_**_ her_!** Ventus snapped at Ben. Ben forced his hands off of Carter and waited for the next instruction.

_**Her nervous system's out of whack, so put your hands on her chest and act like a**_**_ defibrillator_.**

Ben put his hands on Carter's sternum and pumped electricity back into her. She lay still after the first shot of electricity, but after the second her eyes began to flutter and she groaned.

**_Okay, now stop and give her some water,_ **Ventus ordered him. _**She needs to replenish her**_**_ energy_.**

Ben stood up and looked around for a water source. He saw a golden bowl filled with water and grabbed that. He then knelt down and hoisted Carter up into the sitting position and but the bowl to her lips. She opened them slightly and she drank greedily.

After she was done, she looked at Ben. "You so owe me."

Relieved beyond belief, Ben dropped the bowl and hugged Carter until she was gasping for breath. "Dude, let go."

"I thought I lost you," he murmured. "I should have listened to you."

"It's not totally your fault," Carter said weakly. "I should have been more careful. I usually don't get electrocuted unless I'm using my powers."

Ben pulled Carter in close and put his face in her hair. "I'm such an idiot," he muttered.

"Yes, you are," Carter agreed. "What did I say about PDA?"

As Carter put it, public displays of affection (PDA) were not allowed. Even though they were dating, Carter didn't want to flaunt to people that they were. That meant no hand holding, no long hugs, no kissing, no walking to class, nothing. She had said that seeing high school couples do that everywhere was awkward and tacky, so she didn't want to fool around and act lovestruck until they were alone. Ben was mostly okay with that. Mostly.

Apologizing, Ben helped Carter to her feet. She tried to stand on her own, only to nearly crumple to the ground. "I need some time in the healing pod," she declared as Ben put an arm around her waist. "I already know how you'll make up for this."

"How?" Ben wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"We're going to see _Autopsy _today."

"You mean that scary movie with the college kids and the crazy scientist?"

"That's the one."

Ben was so relieved he almost crumpled to the floor himself. He could imagine all of the other things Carter could have done to him, like kill him, or worse, tell his parents. If she wanted to see a movie, Carter would see a movie. Besides, Ben liked scary movies. It couldn't be that bad, right?

* * *

><p>…It was really that bad.<p>

The first thing Ben noticed was the lack of CGI effects. It gave the film a sort of nineties feel. The movie reminded Ben of an old slasher flick with lots of blood and gore, and the soundtrack gave him chills. So why didn't Carter get scared during the whole movie?

Whenever Ben jumped in his seat, Carter giggled. It didn't sound weird, because they were the only two people in the theatre (it _was_ early in the morning, after all). It would have looked strange for the guy to get scared, so Ben was very thankful that there was no one else to see his plight.

Wait a minute-did Carter set this up? Ben took a glance over at his date and saw that she was totally engrossed with the film. Her eyes seemed to shine whenever the music became exceptionally creepy, and she didn't look away whenever the movie showed the experiments. It didn't seem like Carter was trying to embarrass him.

Well, it was time to turn the tables a bit. Ben slowly lifted his arm and lightly draped it over Carter's shoulders, wanting to see if the mysterious touch would make her jump. Without taking her eyes off the screen, Carter pulled down Ben's arm so that it gripped her shoulder, and then she put her head on his shoulder.

Ben was having difficulty breathing as he smelled the minty scent of Carter's perfume mixed with the herbal liquid from the healing pod. And then Carter said in a monotone, "Oh, no, don't go in there." Ben turned back to the movie and noticed one of the hapless kids getting experimented on. "I liked her. Oh well." And then Carter took a sip of her soda and nestled closer to Ben, like they were seeing a romantic movie instead of a horror flick.

As the victim screamed out her last breath, Ben jumped in his seat yet again and grabbed hold of Carter as if for dear life. Ben almost immediately let go and was humiliated to see the devilish smirk splayed over Carter's face. Lifting a hand, she turned Ben's face towards the front and leaned over. Her breath tickled his ear as she whispered, "You are absolutely adorable."

Ben didn't know how he felt about that.

* * *

><p>It was noon when Ben and Carter exited the theater. And of course, they had to see Sam and Kevin walk up to it.<p>

"What movie did you guys see?" Sam asked immediately, stopping in front of the two of them. Kevin stood next to her, hands jammed into his pockets and looking casual.

"We saw _Autopsy_," Carter said happily, an almost dream-like expression on her face.

"I take it you liked it," Sam said, stating the obvious.

"The soundtrack was _amazing_."

"On a scale of one to ten, how bloody was it?"

"About a nine, maybe nine-and-a-half."

"Sweet." As the girls conversed more about the movie, Ben directed Kevin out of earshot.

"Did you know Carter doesn't get scared at horror movies?"

Kevin shook his head. "No; is that a problem?"

"Well no, but… You know how the girl is supposed to hang onto their date whenever something scary happens? And how the guy tells her 'It's only a movie,' and comforts her and stuff?"

Kevin caught on and started to laugh in Ben's face. "_Dude_-"

"Will you stop?" Ben pleaded. "I just made a complete fool of myself!"

"Obviously." Kevin looked back at the girls, who were laughing about something. "I really don't think it's that big of a deal."

"You don't?" Ben raised an eyebrow.

"Believe me I know what you're talking about. But I think switching roles sometimes isn't a totally awful thing. Besides, it's a little old-fashioned to think the guy has to constantly save the girl. Carter doesn't strike me as the type who would want to be a damsel-in-distress."

Ben had to hand it to Kevin. Sometimes he gave really good advice. "Thanks Kev. So how are things with you and Sam?"

A gentle look came over Kevin's face. "Pretty good. We're going to see _Autopsy_. Is it really that scary, Benji?" The gentle look was replaced by a cocky grin as Kevin lightly punched Ben's arm.

"The soundtrack alone is creepy." Ben gave an involuntary shudder.

Over on the girls' side, Sam was asking about Ben. "So, did you jump into his lap when you had the chance?" She wiggled her eyebrows as Carter lightly pushed her.

"We're not at that stage in our relationship yet. I don't want to come on too strong."

"Not yet, anyway. But what happened?"

"Well, I was calmly watching it while Ben squeaked and jumped in his seat whenever something scary happened."

Sam snickered and kept her voice low. "You're kidding."

Carter shook her head. "I kid you not. He tried to make up for it by doing something corny-you know, put his arm on my shoulders. But he was too slow so had to literally pull his arm around me."

Sam gave a low whistle. "You're getting kind of aggressive."

"Is that bad?"

"No, but like you said, you're not at that stage in your relationship yet. Take it kind of slow and go from there." Sam studied Carter's face. "Are you blushing?"

"What?" Carter felt her cheeks to see that they were indeed abnormally warm. She swore. "This happens every time after I try taking the initiative with Ben. What is wrong with me?"

Sam thought it over. Carter never got embarrassed like this whenever she got even remotely aggressive with her other boyfriends. "I think Ben's special. He's always been special to you."

"What are you implying?"

"That you're secretly afraid to try anything with Ben because he's important to you. You don't want to ruin what you have right now with him, so when you try to do something somewhat aggressive, you get embarrassed. Or maybe it's because out of all the boyfriends you've had, Ben's the only one to respond positively to your advances. You're not used to that, so you go red."

"I guess…" Carter still looked confused, so Sam decided to change the subject.

"So, did Ben ever scream?"

* * *

><p>"Hey, Gwen, what are your plans for today?" Evan asked over the phone. Gwen was having lunch with her mother in their home, since Lilly worked from there. Gwen excused herself from the table and went into the hallway so she wouldn't be overheard.<p>

"What are you planning, Evan?"

"I want you to meet a friend of mine. His family owns an art studio in Bellwood and I thought it might be a good way to spend the day."

"…Why me?"

"Because DJ needs a model and I couldn't think of anyone else who could do it."

"I don't know…"

"He'll just paint you as you are. He doesn't do nudes," Evan reassured her. "Besides, DJ is a really cool guy. He wouldn't make you do anything you weren't comfortable with."

Gwen would have been more suspicious, but she had a few questions concerning that strange emperor guy from last night. Besides, she could handle herself. "Where's the studio?"

* * *

><p>Gwen was mortified to be picked up in a Hummer limo. "Why are you picking me up in this?" Gwen asked, blushing furiously. She quickly shut the door so no would see her get in.<p>

"I didn't have any other form of transportation," Evan said from across Gwen, sitting casually as he idly flipped through a magazine.

As the limo started to move out of the neighborhood, Gwen asked, "What are you, rich or something?"

Evan looked at Gwen surprised. "No one told you?"

That made Gwen's eyes grow huge. "Evan…who _are_ you?"

"Evan Force, heir to Force Industries."

Gwen put a finger to her temple like she was trying to stop her brain from short-circuiting. "Let me get this straight. You're a Slayer, you're family is loaded, and yet you have a job." Gwen peeked over at Evan, who was back to idly flipping through his science magazine.

"So what if my family's rich? I can still have a job. And besides, you're either born a Slayer or you're not; there's no way for people to register or sign up to join us."

Gwen bit her lip as she processed this new information. "So, that means you're a born killer."

"Your point being…?"

Gwen chose to ignore that. "So, are all Slayers rich?"

Evan took a moment to think about that. "Not really. Most are middle-class. The assassination jobs don't pay well if you want to start a family or a business or something like that. It's like a second job for adults and a part-time gig for teenagers."

"You talk about this so normally."

"Well, isn't it?" Evan put the magazine aside. "If a child wants to become a police officer, that means he has to learn to kill people. It's just like us, only they usually follow the law."

"When do Slayers even start assassinating people?" Gwen didn't know if she wanted to hear this answer.

"Around eight or so."

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Gwen screeched. She would have jumped out of her seat if the car wasn't moving so quickly. "Why the hell would you make little kids kill people?"

"The earlier they get used to it, the easier it is when they're older."

"But can't you see how traumatic it can be for them? For God's sake, they're children. They barely know right and wrong as it is; they shouldn't be corrupted by something like this." Gwen stared at Evan in disbelief, body limp yet tense.

Evan took in her reaction calmly, a sad smile overtaking his face. "Believe me, Gwen, I know," he said softly, his eyes full of hurt.

And the full realization hit Gwen like a hammer. "Oh, God…" She stared at Evan, putting a hand to mouth in horror. She could just imagine Evan at eight years old, aiming a gun at someone and pulling the trigger, the blood and brains everywhere as he tried to comprehend what he just did.

Evan gave a low chuckle from deep in his throat. "You'd be surprised how well kids understand right and wrong. They know stealing is wrong, they know lying is wrong, and they know hurting anything is wrong. And yet some do it anyway. Sometimes it's because they think its fun; maybe it's because they want to get back at someone. The situation doesn't matter. Kids can sometimes see things better than adults can. Adults lie and steal and sometimes kill-they know it's wrong and they do it anyway. With kids, if they think it's wrong, they usually don't do it because they don't want to disappoint their parents or their teacher. Adults just don't care.

"When I first killed someone back when I was eight, I was traumatized. I'm not going to sugar coat it for you. I had nightmares about it for weeks. I couldn't sleep and I could barely eat. I had killed a man when I had always been told that killing was wrong. I knew what I did was wrong and yet I did it anyway, because _it was my job_. I did what policemen do whenever they see something horrible at a murder scene: I moved on from it. I never forget it, but I learned from it and got stronger. I would have gone mad if I didn't."

Gwen swallowed the bile that was rising in her throat. She had not once considered the psychological damage caused to her friends when they went out and did their "jobs". And here was Evan, who normally took her complaints and rants easily, and who had just spilled his heart out to her and revealed the horrible experience he went through even though he had been bred since he was little to kill people.

Gwen felt like such an awful person.

Gwen swallowed again, her face a ghastly shade of white. "Do you ever have trouble sleeping now?"

"Sometimes I have nightmares. They don't happen often, but when they do, it's horrible." Evan suddenly smiled a giant grin that wiped all traces of grief and anguish from his face. "But the money helps."

It was such a bad joke to make at a time like this, but Gwen was so desperate to diffuse this horrible tension that she laughed harder than necessary. Evan laughed too, joining her as they howled hysterically at something that wasn't even that funny.

* * *

><p>The art studio was a beautiful modern building in the middle of Bellwood, with large windows and a well-kept lawn. "Your friend owns this?" Gwen asked in awe.<p>

"His family does," Evan explained. "It's an art studio slash recording studio slash house." Evan walked up to the building with Gwen in tow.

Evan pressed the doorbell and waited for someone to show up. After a minute, the oak door opened to reveal a little African American girl with short black hair and big brown eyes, in a cute pink dress.

"Hey, Britt-nay!" Evan trilled, waving his fingers with a silly grin on his face.

The girl beamed a smile back. "Hey, Ev-ay!"

"Where's your brother?"

"In the art studio; come on in." Brittany led the two into the large, expensive-looking home, with long, white halls with family photos and framed pictures of employees who started their careers here.

The art studio was large with white walls and a huge window overlooking the colorful back garden. There were canvases everywhere: some on easels, some leaning against the wall, some finished, some a blank sheet. A wooden cabinet lay off to the side, possibly for art supplies.

Right in the middle of the studio was a boy with cinnamon colored skin like Brittany's, with his hair in dreadlocks, with a thoughtful expression on his face as he stared at a blank canvas. He was wearing a simple black tee-shirt with a blue flannel shirt opened up to reveal it, with paint splattered jeans and blue tennis shoes.

"Hey, Dee-jay!" Evan trilled arms outstretched in a hug. The boy lost his determined look and broke out a smile.

"Hey, Ev-ay!" he replied, getting up out of his seat and walking up to Evan. As the two boys bro-hugged, Gwen stood to the side awkwardly as twelve-year-old Brittany left the room.

"DJ, meet Gwen," Evan introduced her as they broke contact. DJ studied Gwen, walking around her in a circle, getting her every angle. Gwen just stood there awkwardly as she waited for him to finish.

"I would be honored to have you as a model," DJ said finally, stretching out a hand. Gwen shook it, noting how callused it was from all that painting.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked. DJ gestured to the middle, where a little wooden stool was. Gwen sat in it as DJ went towards his canvas.

"Where'd you find her, Evan?" DJ asked conversationally as he readied his supplies.

"Cordelia sent me to her," Evan answered casually. DJ stopped what he was doing and turned to Evan, who was leaning against the wall like he had nothing better to do.

"You're kidding."

"Afraid not, good buddy."

"Excuse me," Gwen suddenly said, making both boys look at her. "Exactly who is this Cordelia person?"

"Cordelia Valentine, part owner of Valentine Hospitals," DJ explained. "She's also the head coordinator for Slayer missions."

"So you're a Slayer?"

"Didn't Evan tell you?"

"No." Gwen shook her head. "He just told me that you needed a model, and I had nothing better to do…"

DJ smiled as he dipped a paintbrush into red paint. "You're very trusting."

"Evan's never steered me wrong before."

"You'll find that most Slayers are trustworthy," DJ said. "We may not be the best of people, but we rarely go back on our word."

"Good to know." A minute passed as DJ began to paint Gwen with Evan listening to heavy metal on his iPod in the back. Something was bothering Gwen, and she decided that now would be the best time to ask it. "Are you really born a Slayer?"

"Well, yes," DJ said truthfully. "All children born into Slayer families are bred in martial arts from a very young age. Even if we don't go on missions, we can still defend ourselves."

"Have you ever gone on a mission?" Gwen was getting bored just sitting in this chair.

"Yes, but I didn't like it, so after a bit I quit," said DJ, who was still painting Gwen even though they were conversing.

"You can quit?"

"Not all Slayers are meant for slaying, Gwen," DJ chided her, never taking his eyes off his creation.

The news unsettled Gwen, who had just learned Evan's experiences after his first job. "Why didn't Evan quit? He told me what it did to him the first time, so why didn't he…?"

DJ actually stopped painting and put down the brush. He stared at Gwen seriously as he said, "Because he's a part of the Pride. For him, quitting is not an option. It never will be."

"But why?"

"Because out of twenty thousand children, he, Carter, and Sam were chosen as the strongest out of them all. Even when they hold back, they're incredibly powerful."

"No way," Gwen muttered in shock.

"Way," said DJ, picking up his paintbrush. "He and the girls have to set an example for all the other teams. They're their leaders, so to speak. If they quit, who knows what the others will do?"

Since that last part was a rhetorical question, Gwen didn't answer it. She stayed like that until mid-afternoon, when DJ finally finished his portrait of her. About time; Gwen's rump was sore and she was getting hungry.

Evan, who had taken out his ear buds, joined Gwen as they looked at DJ's portrait together. The result was breathtaking: there was Gwen, sitting in the middle of the studio, the light in the background shining beside her, almost like a spotlight. The cheery light contrasted nicely with Gwen's black skirt, black tights, black heels, and blue sweater. DJ had posed Gwen with her hands in her lap, her head looking towards the left, a sad, pensive look on her face as if she had just received awful news that she couldn't comprehend. Her emerald green eyes were downcast, strands of her red hair fell around her face, and she was biting her bottom lip.

Had Gwen really looked like that when DJ told her about the Pride?

"Nice work, D," Evan congratulated his friend, clapping his shoulder once. DJ got out a business card out of his jeans and handed it to Gwen.

"If you ever want to model again, just call me," he said. "I'd like to paint you again."

Gwen blushed at the compliment, smiling sheepishly as she did. "Thank you," she said softly.

"I brought ice cream!" Brittany announced, bursting through the doors and brandishing a tray with three blue bowls of vanilla ice cream with spoons. For some odd reason, there was also a small bottle of hot sauce.

"YES!" Evan and DJ cheered, forcing Gwen to take a step back away from them so they couldn't destroy her eardrums with their voices. The two boys immediately grabbed two of the bowls and the bottle of hot sauce and began to top their ice cream with the red liquid.

Gwen grabbed her own bowl and spoon as she stared at the two boys, dumbstruck. "_Why_?"

"Because it tastes _delicious_!" Evan exclaimed as Brittany left again, laughing as she did. DJ took pity on Gwen and began to explain.

"Look at what you have Gwen; a bowl of plain vanilla ice cream. It looks nice, right? A creamy, boring white with no strings attached. But that's what you have: boring. Now, you can spice it up with something, like chocolate chips or sprinkles or whatever. That's all fine and dandy, but that's so _predictable_. What your bowl of vanilla ice cream needs is some _pizzazz_."

"Some super spicy pizzazz!" Evan proclaimed, holding the bottle of hot sauce in his hands.

"Will you take it, Gwen?" DJ said dramatically as Evan held out the bottle to Gwen. "Will you splash some red hot pizzazz on your boring vanilla ice cream? Or will you be like the rest of the sheep, who only do the predictable and never take a step out of the ordinary?"

"Okay, okay, I'll try it!" Tired of their unnecessarily dramatic speech, Gwen grabbed the hot sauce and poured a tiny amount on her ice cream and spooned it into her mouth.

Gwen's taste buds were assaulted by smooth, sweet creamy vanilla and hot, spicy hot sauce- a combination she were unfamiliar with. It almost made Gwen want to spit it out, but after swallowing the spoonful, she decided that she liked the strange flavor.

"Hand me the bottle."

* * *

><p><em>That last bit with the hot sauce is something my guy friends cooked up last summer. I even put it on boring vanilla ice cream like Evan and DJ did. It's a little weird, but it's not bad.<em>


	24. The Big Red Button of Doom

Chapter 24: The Big Red Button of Doom

"That movie was awesome!" Sam cheered as she threw her hands in the air. Kevin, on the other hand, was still green after seeing all those experiments done of those poor, stupid college students.

No wonder Ben was terrified.

As Kevin drove his car out of the movie theater's parking lot, Sam began to tease him. "I can't believe you thought that movie was scary."

"A bunch of college students got experimented on, and there was a _lot_ of gore. How can not think it was scary?"

"You've never seen Carter's horror movie collection, have you?"

"No; is it really that bad?"

"Let me think." Sam began to count the list with her fingers. "She's got Stephen King's _It_, _Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, Rear Window, The Birds, Halloween-"_

"Okay, I believe you," Kevin said truthfully. "No wonder you've got nerves of steel."

"Not like Carter. Do you want to hear something interesting?"

"Sure."

"Evan's terrified of scary movies, even though he says he likes them."

"Really."

"Uh-huh."

"How bad does he get?"

Sam lips began to quiver as she tried to fight the laugh that was escaping. "W-well, whenever the music gets creepy he starts shouting at the characters to get the hell out of the haunted house, and he screams like a little girl whenever something bad happens-"

Kevin began to snicker.

"And right before the climax, he jumps behind the couch and stays there until the movie's over."

With this, Kevin began to laugh out loud, his shoulders shaking as he imagined Evan in a dark movie theater watching _Autopsy_.

A familiar beeping sound went off in Sam's little red purse. She fished out her phone and discovered a text message. "It's from Carter," she revealed.

Kevin, more of less calmed down, asked, "What's it say?"

"'Stop making fun of Evan_.'"_

"…You're kidding."

Sam showed Kevin the message, her face white. "It's freaky how she does that."

* * *

><p>A frog-like alien wearing black and silver armor and with an arm in a sling rushed to his king to tell him the news. Instead, he got the commander, a strange metallic alien wearing long purple robes and whose head showed his large brain.<p>

"You're from the Royal Guard Detail, right?" Commander Raff inquired politely.

The Royal Guard gave his commander a salute, just thrusting his arm out and puffing his chest. "Brook, of Princess Attea's personal escort. While scouting an enemy star system, we were ambushed by the bounty hunter SevenSeven. "

"Seriously?" asked Commander Raff.

"Seriously."

"Where's the princess?"

Brook held up a piece of torn purple fabric. "This is a piece of her garment from when we were attacked. Oh, the battle was _glorious_."

Raff took the cloth into his own hands and studied it. "How long can we keep the emperor from finding out?"

"Raff, to my throne room," said the emperor over the intercom.

Well, that answered Raff's question.

As the two entered the throne room, they bowed to their ruler, an obese frog alien with big yellow eyes and black and yellow robes over his giant paunch.

"Grand emperor Millius, light of the Incursion empire, destroyer of galaxies, keeper of the conquest way; all living creatures tremble in your-"

"Quickly!" the emperor ordered, his voice sounding like it belonged in the Roaring Twenties. "My daughter is missing!"

"Yes," Commander Raff acknowledged. "Don't worry, sir, we're working on it. SevenSeven probably took her alive, you know, for the ransom."

"Attea would never surrender!" Millius roared. "You're to blame for this!" He pointed an accusing finger at Brook, who looked terrified.

"Emperor Millius, have mercy!"

"MERCY?! For incompetence?" Millius mulled it over. "Very well." A slide projected out of the arm rest of the throne with a big red button on it.

"Your destruction shall be swift." The emperor pressed the button and a beam of red light shone on Brook from the ceiling. Brook quickly stood up and saluted his ruler right before he was vaporized.

Commander Raff looked at the spot where Brook was and gulped.

"And you, my supposed right hand," the emperor sneered, "find my daughter!"

"Uh, no problem, your highness," Raff said hesitantly.

"This SevenSeven is a tool for this empire's enemies," Emperor Millius thought out loud.

"But that could mean anybody sir," Raff reasoned. "Anybody you haven't enslaved or destroyed yet."

"True," Emperor Millius allowed. "Search the closest inhabited planet. Fix this! Or I'll show you mercy." He waved a hand over the big red button threateningly.

Raff quickly scanned his brain for anyone who might help who lived on such a backwater planet like Earth.

* * *

><p>Ben's Team and the Pride were packed into Kevin's car, drinking smoothies in Mr. Smoothie's parking lot. Or they would have been if Gwen and Ben weren't arguing.<p>

"The lake!" yelled Gwen.

"Auto show!" yelled Ben.

"We could always watch _Autopsy_," Carter offered, an evil little smirk on her face.

"NO!" yelled both Ben and Kevin.

"Can we please make a decision?" Evan pleaded from the backseat, his head resting on the left window.

"Last time I'm sayin' it: auto show," Kevin declared. Sam, who was in the passenger's seat, looked at the others.

"I'm still saying the lake," was Gwen's response.

"Haven't we done the lake?" Evan asked.

"Auto show it is," Sam told Kevin, who smirked. Gwen just sat back in her seat and sucked on her smoothie sulkily.

Suddenly, a bright, near-blinding light flashed before the car, making everyone stop and stare.

A bunch of frog-like aliens with silver and black armor surrounded the Dodge Challenger, all aiming their huge-ass alien lasers at the kids inside.

Ben rolled down the window and spoke to the nearest alien. "I don't suppose you want to go to the auto show."

* * *

><p>Once all the teenagers were outside the vehicle with their hands up, Ben asked Kevin, "What are they?"<p>

"Incursion warriors, packin' serious ordinance."

"What do they want?" Gwen asked him.

A blue light flashed over on the Incursion side, and Commander Raff appeared as if by teleportation. "Weapons down," he told his subordinates. The frog aliens put down their lasers.

Raff turned to Kevin and said, "Sorry, Kevin. You know Incursions."

Kevin immediately put on his salesman smile and said, "Raff! How you been?" He went over to the brain alien and put an on around his shoulders.

He turned to the others and explained. "Guys, this is Raff. He's the number two guy in, like, forty star systems." Kevin began to introduce his friends. "Raff, that's Evan, the drama queen-"

"Dude!"

"That's Gwen, the smart one, that's Carter, the horror movie expert-"

"Did Sam tell you?"

"And that's Sam." Kevin looked at Sam, his smile soft. Sam smirked and said, "What, no title for me?"

"Didn't think you need one."

Ben coughed quite audibly, making Kevin lose his happy smile. "Oh, and that's Ben Tennyson," he said flippantly, like he didn't particularly care about the brunette.

The Incursion warriors began to whisper among them and backed away from the group. Ben immediately got that cocky grin that Carter so disliked. She elbowed him viciously, making him lose it.

"He's Ben Tennyson?" Raff asked Kevin for confirmation.

He nodded and told Ben, "I used to talk about what I'd do to you."

"Right, back when you were a crook," Ben said as he eyed the Incursions to his left.

"Entrepreneur," Kevin retorted, breaking contact with Raff. "I kept Raff's whole empire in food and sandals. What brings you out here?" Kevin asked his old friend.

"SevenSeven snatched a little girl in the system and I really need your help to find her," Raff explained. "You're the only Earth fellow I know." Raff help up a piece of Attea's purple cloak. "This is her favorite color. Seen anybody like that?"

"Wait; SevenSeven?" Ben asked, confused. "You mean like that SixSix guy we used to fight?"

"He's the same race as SixSix, but far more dangerous," Raff said.

"Yeah, by eleven," Carter said sarcastically. She turned to Ben to hear his verdict.

"…We'll help you," he said confidently. Sure, there was a lot of danger, but a little kid was in trouble. How could he say no?

"Why should we?" Kevin asked. "He's more of a work friend."

A screeching sound of a transmission beginning sounded from Kevin's radio. Evan hurried to it and turned up the volume to hear Emperor Millius make his announcement.

"People of Earth; this is Lord Emperor Millius." At the sound of the name, all of the lowly Incursion warriors bowed down in respect for their ruler.

"You're errand boy SevenSeven has one deca-rotation to return Princess Attea to me, before I blow your pathetic planet to dust with the unstoppable Incursion Conquest Ray!"

As the transmission ended, Kevin sighed heavily. "Where do we start?"

"There's gonna be a panic," Ben started only to be cut off by Sam.

"Not possible. The emperor's most likely using a Tacheon burst transmission. Earth doesn't get faster than light transmissions."

"But the emperor doesn't know that," Gwen deduced.

"If you have a gizmo that can beat SevenSeven's cloaking tech, then we can track him," Raff said hopefully, since his life was on the line and all.

"We got something better than some gizmo," Evan said, turning to Gwen.

She grabbed the piece of purple fabric from Raff's hands and said, "If this was hers, and you can teleport, then we're practically done."

For a moment, Gwen's eyes glowed pink, and the fabric floated in the air above her hand like a ghost. And then Gwen opened her eyes, and the cloth fell back into her hands.

"She's at Grand Matray Dam. And she's fighting back."

* * *

><p>When Raff teleported the Pride and Ben's team to the dam, they saw the princess jump kick SevenSeven in the head.<p>

How did she get kidnapped again?

As Ben and his team ran down the dam to save Attea, the Pride just jumped off the bridge. Evan quickly grabbed hold of the girls by their waists and used his powers to soften the ground below them, creating a spongy target for them to land on.

SevenSeven and Princess Attea took a moment for fighting to look at these strange people before SevenSeven used his jetpack to fly up into the sky. He morphed the arm of his pink and black armor to create a laser cannon and aimed it at the Pride.

"Bitch, please!" Sam snorted as she willed a ball of fire in her hands. She flung it at SevenSeven with deadly accuracy, with SevenSeven narrowly getting out of the way.

But SevenSeven was already on the counterattack, shooting laser bolts out of his cannon at Princess Attea and the Pride. Evan grabbed the Incursion girl's hand and ran towards the edge of the dam to safety, even though Attea didn't want to leave the battle when it was starting to get good.

Yep, she was definitely Emperor Millius's daughter.

The blasts from SevenSeven's cannon hit the dam, breaking apart the stone and letting large quantities of water leak out. Carter left Sam to deal with the alien and ran up to the dam.

With a flick of her wrists, Carter willed the water down towards her, and she twisted her arms and body in a circular motion, making the water flow around her like a protective ring. With little difficulty, Carter morphed the growing water around her into a giant ball surrounding her, turning it into a protective shield.

Carter knew she was running out of time. The amount of water gushing out of the cracks in the dam was too much to control, and already Carter's arms felt like lead. There was pressure building up inside her head, and she could feel the flow of blood as it leaked out of her nose.

Gwen and Kevin noticed the water rushing out of the dam because the water was crashing up towards the top, threatening to flood the bridge above it. Kevin quickly bent down and absorbed the ground, encasing himself in dirt armor. Knowing Gwen and Ben could handle themselves, he leaned over the rail of the bridge and jumped down, tucking himself into a ball for impact.

He landed on the ground below with a loud _BOOM_, creating a small crater right near Sam. "Need backup?" Kevin asked her as the dust he unsettled began to fly away.

"Why not?" Sam shrugged as she launched another volley of fire at SevenSeven, who was still up in the air.

On top of the bridge, Ben and Raff-who had always been there-, had made it to the edge of the bridge. Only Gwen was stuck in the middle as the dam water began to crash over the top. Knowing she had only seconds before she drowned, Gwen used her powers to create a bubble around her. As the water crashed over her, the pink bubble flowed to the top of the water life a life preserver, carrying Gwen away with the tide.

And then the water completely flowed over the dam, a huge gushing river of anarchy that not even Carter was able to control. Using the ball of water she had created, Carter lifted herself off the ground and tightened the sphere so the air amount wouldn't deplete. As she floated with the tide, the amount of blood coming out of Carter's nose increased.

Sensing danger, Evan pulled Princess Attea to him and willed his funny green and brown spotted wings to appear. He flew up into the sky, away from the dam river and to safety. Attea didn't protest.

From his vantage point, Evan could see SevenSeven using his jetpack to escape danger. Sam had willed her pure red wings out and was lifting Kevin high up in the air, with some difficulty since the sixteen year old still had his armor on. Evan could vividly see a pink sphere flowing with the tide as it left the dam (Gwen, no doubt), and he could vaguely see a black blur in the middle of the river. Even though Evan had known Carter for years-knew what she was capable of-, he still couldn't help feel a little worried for her.

Ben, who was clinging onto the steel rail from the side of the dam, checked his Omnitrix for any aliens that could help. Chromastone, Echo Echo, Humungousaur- none of them would work. Why did Ben have to be useless _now_?

And then Ben spied a new alien, one that was always there but had never given a thought to try. It was a buff humanoid, with tar-black skin and big, glowing eyes. Now would be a good time to try it out. Ben slapped down the dial and felt the metamorphosis transform him.

Ben, now as Alien X-because that sounded _so_ cool right now- lifted his left arm and moved it into a circular motion, creating a silver ring in midair. The ring grew larger, larger than Humungousaur even, and glided over the dam mess, stopping it.

No, seriously, time just _stopped_ for the dam. The water stopped rushing out of the enclosed space, the bridge stopped cracking from the water pressure, and the Pride who were flying away from the scene stopped in midair, as if a tractor beam was ceasing their movements.

And just as suddenly, the water gushed back into the dam, the cracks in the large stone filling themselves. The cracks in the bridge stopped cracking and fixed themselves, and Gwen and Carter, who were stuck in the middle of the mess, were set safely down on their feet as the water stayed on the other side of the dam.

Alien X walked down to the bottom where everyone else was gathering, even Raff, who had mysteriously disappeared for a while. Carter, who was feeling fantastic all of a sudden, helped Gwen up as she spat out water.

"That was incredible!" Carter said to Ben when she and Gwen made it over to the others.

"No lie!" Kevin said, gazing up at Alien X. "Have you ever turned into that guy before?"

"I think we would remember a super powerful alien like that," Evan reasoned with him. He and Sam had retracted their wings the minute they had landed, and no had thought to ask them what was up with their freakish wings.

"With all that power, I think he's gotta be the go-to hero from now all," Gwen said, looking up at the alien.

A flash of red light, and SevenSeven flew over to the heroes and snatched up Princess Attea in all of her purple clad glory.

"No!" Raff cried as SevenSeven flew away with his life line.

Gwen immediately summoned some mana and tried to rope the kidnapper, while Carter willed the bow and arrow charms from her silver bracelet into her hands. She drew back the silver arrow and aimed at SevenSeven's back. Carter let the arrow fly, watching as it hit SevenSeven's jetpack.

SevenSeven fell to the ground with Princess Attea screaming in his grasp. Evan's eyes glowed green, and plants erupted from the earth and wrapped themselves around Attea, snatching her out of SevenSeven's hands and cushioning her fall. The fragrant plants calmed the girl down as the greenery quickly receded back into the earth, setting Attea down on solid ground. Gwen used her powers to ensnare SevenSeven and set him on the ground, far away from Attea.

"What the hell, Tennyson?" Kevin demanded from Alien X, who had just stood there while SevenSeven attacked Attea. Alien X didn't respond.

Sam snapped her fingers in front of the alien's face. "Say something," she ordered. When Alien X continued to just stand there, Sam became frustrated, smoke erupting comically from her flaming hair.

In an effort to divert her anger, Carter put a hand on her friend's shoulder and pointed at SevenSeven with the other. "He's trying to get away. Stop him."

Sam gave Carter a look that clearly conveyed a sarcastic _Really? _Carter huffed and said, "Go and beat him up." Sam shrugged her shoulders and ran over to SevenSeven, ready to knock his lights out.

Crisis diverted, Carter turned to Alien X. "What's going on in there?"

* * *

><p>"This is awesome!" Ben cried as he found himself floating in space. He was in his human form, just hanging around in pitch-black nothing with only the stars for company. He probably should have been concerned about dying from asphyxiation, but he was having too much fun.<p>

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, Ben," a motherly, ethereal voice sounded in the void. Ben turned to see two gigantic floating faces in front of him.

No, seriously, faces. They reminded Ben of those theater masks, the ones with eye holes that looked creepy against a dark backdrop. One of the faces was a smiling woman, her face heart-shaped and kind. The other was clearly male, his face set in a permanent frown.

Instead of asking who they were like a nice, polite boy, Ben asked, "Can I make something else happen?"

"Ben, you are one of three," the motherly face chided him. "We have to vote to make things happen."

"Okay, team Alien X, let's vote to make something else happen," Ben said jovially, his face looking like a kid on Christmas morning.

"I vote we do nothing," the male grumbled.

"I vote the same," the female said happily.

Ben stopped smiling. "But we can't just do _nothing_; someone needs our help!"

"We are the most powerful beings in the universe," the female explained.

"Because we are the most deliberative," the male continued.

"So, the Earth is safe?"

"No; where'd you get that?" the male asked Ben. Ben floated closer to the green faces, now really concerned.

"I am Serena, the voice of love and compassion," the female introduced herself.

"And I'm Bellicus, the voice of rage and aggression," the male said. "You're supposed to be the voice of reason."

"Bellicus and I have been locked in eternal argument," Serena continued.

Ben cut her off. "Yeah, that's great. Earth's going to be destroyed any minute!"

Serena finally lost her smile and began to frown. "I feel sorrow. Billions of lives will be lost." She turned to Bellicus.

"They probably got it coming," Bellicus said, not really caring. He glared at Ben. "Get it, genius? We deliberate. Now you try it."

"I wanna know what happened to my friends."

"Seconded," Serena said, smiling again.

"Motion carried," Bellicus said, allowing it. A bright light flashed before Ben's eyes, right in between Bellicus and Serena. It was a window, a circular thing that allowed Ben to see outside Alien X.

* * *

><p>Kevin was trying to put Alien X in the backseat of the car, only Ben wouldn't budge. "Just bend or something!" Kevin pleaded. Alien X continued to do nothing.<p>

"Just put him in the trunk or something," Carter said, totally annoyed now.

Kevin liked that idea.

"You can't just stuff him into your car!" Gwen cried as Kevin tried to put Ben feet first into the trunk. Since Alien X was too big, he was struggling with it.

"He hasn't moved since he fixed the dam," Evan pointed out. "He could be hurt or trapped in his own head or something."

"Why doesn't he just get out then?" Princess Attea asked. She was standing next to Evan and Raff, since no one wanted her to get kidnapped again. The kidnapper SevenSeven was unconscious and beat up thanks to Sam, who was watching over him.

"I don't think he can," Evan said as everyone began to glow blue and teleport.

The next thing everyone knew was that they were on a spaceship, outside the Earth's atmosphere. There were Incursion warriors everywhere in the yellow throne room, and the emperor himself was sitting comfortably on his throne, waiting for news.

"Attea!" Emperor Millius cried happily.

"Daddy!" Princess Attea cried, running up to her father and giving him a big hug.

"Aw, family reunions," Evan said, pretending to wipe a tear away.

"Here, we even got a present," Sam said, throwing the defeated SevenSeven at the emperor's feet.

"Now what are you going to do about Earth?" Carter asked.

Emperor Millius seemed to notice them for the first time. "Oh, yes. Well, technically you did save my daughter, so I should let your pathetic little planet go."

All the Earth inhabitants began to feel relieved at that.

"But you did send SevenSeven to kidnap my daughter in the first place!" Emperor Millius roared.

"WHAT?!" Sam roared back indignantly. "We had nothing to do with that!"

"Bring me the royal detonator!" Millius ordered, holding a hand out. An Incursion warrior handed him a gold hexagonal cylinder with a single red button on the top.

"Put Earth on the screen," Millius said, gesturing up to the hexagonal screen to the left. The picture fizzled with static right before it showed planet Earth in all its blue and green glory.

Emperor Millius's hand hovered threateningly above the red button.

"Don't do it!" Gwen warned him, now truly afraid.

Emperor Millius pressed the button, and everyone turned in horror to see if the Earth was truly destroyed.

...It wasn't.

"I didn't destroy your planet," Emperor Millius explained. "But I did activate the Conquest Ray. Put the little pretty one on the screen." The screen flickered to show Pluto, the tiny little dwarf planet that hovered in the Kuiper belt.

"How is Pluto the pretty one?" Carter asked, confused. "It's a barren, frozen wasteland."

They all saw a green ray hit Pluto in the center, and in half a second the planet exploded, turning into a million pieces and scattering all over the solar system.

"_Was_ a barren, frozen wasteland," Emperor Millius corrected Carter, who was just staring at the screen with the others.

* * *

><p>Ben watched the destruction of Pluto from inside Alien X. He turned to Bellicus and Serena. "He destroyed planet Pluto!"<p>

"It wasn't a planet, it was a dwarf planet," Bellicus reminded him. Like it mattered.

"I think it should have been a planet," Serena said fondly. "Ben?"

"I don't care! That guy's going to blow up the Earth!"

"You're so called friends can take care of Earth," Bellicus scoffed. "Let them pull their own weight for once."

"Now you're just being contrary!" Serena scolded him lightly.

"Let's make a decision here," Ben said, because it was the only thing that could make these guys work with him.

"We're not finished deliberating," Serena reminded him.

"No, I need to help now!" Ben turned the dial on the Omnitrix and slammed it down, hoping it would change him back to human. Safe to say it didn't.

"Alien X doesn't do anything until it's been put to a vote," Bellicus reminded him. "We've already cut you slack 'cause you're new. But that's the procedure."

"Okay," Ben said, calming down. "I move that you let me use the Omnitrix."

"Is there a second?" Bellicus turned to Serena, who was stubbornly not saying anything. Bellicus turned to Ben. "Motion defeated!"

"Good vote!" Bellicus and Serena said in unison, which irritated Ben.

"You see, until you showed up, Alien X was always in a deadlock," Serena explained. "But now we've finally found a tiebreaker. How can we ever let you go?"

"Got that, genius?" Bellicus said. "You're never changing back."

* * *

><p><em>Fun fact: when Pluto was demoted to dwarf planet status, it was because it was in the asteroid belt the Kuiper belt (Kuiper rhymes with 'viper') which is full of remnants from the Solar System's formation. So that means Pluto was almost once a full-fledged planet. How about that?<em>


	25. In Which Ventus Helps Out for Once

Chapter 25: In Which Ventus Helps Out for Once

_Do you guys know why I haven't had Ben use his powers so much or had Ventus talk to him a lot? This chapter is the reason. Ben couldn't reveal himself to Gwen and Kevin, and now he has to. That's all I'm giving you as a spoiler._

_To **AnimeTL:**__I'm glad you're not hating on me. The reason for so many OC characters is because I'm introducing an entire society to Ben's team. Naturally I have to introduce quite a few characters to make it seem believable._

_To **Calvin: **The chapters will always be over 4,000 words long. They may seem shorter to you because some chapters are way over the limit while some are closer to 4,000. Hope that clears it up._

* * *

><p>"Will you stop replaying that?" Evan asked of Emperor Millius.<p>

"I like to show the full impact of my threats," Millius responded.

"By showing it twice?"

"…I thought it would be funny."

"Forget that! He just blew up Pluto!" Carter yelled at Evan.

"Look on the bright side: it'll smooth out Neptune's orbit," Kevin reasoned. Sam smacked him upside the head.

"OW!"

"Sam, stop being abusive to your boyfriend."

"I am not abusive, _mom_." Sam glared at Carter, who was seriously wondering why she was "mother" of the group.

_**Did someone call for me? **_Aquaria joked in Carter's head.

Oh yeah.

"Excuse me!" Emperor Millius ordered. Everyone turned their attention on him. "Unless you find out who kidnapped Princess Attea, I'll blow up Earth into even smaller pieces."

"Why don't we just ask him?" Gwen pointed to SevenSeven, who had been lying there unconscious at Millius's feet.

Princess Attea and her father looked at each other.

Wanting to make this a little less awkward, Evan said, "We'll interrogate him."

"Why bother?" Carter asked. "He's probably the one who wanted the ransom."

"Question?" Sam raised her hand. "Does he even speak English?"

"…Good point," Kevin admitted. "But I got a universal transmitter in the trunk of my car. It should be fine."

SevenSeven made gargling sounds from the ground. "I think he's up," Princess Attea announced apathetically.

Sam cracked her knuckles. "Let's do this."

* * *

><p>The Pride had asked for a separate room for the interrogation, since they didn't want Gwen or Kevin to see what they were about to do. SevenSeven laid in the corner of a closet, a ten by twelve foot room that didn't allow a lot of room for much.<p>

Sam had done a number on the kidnapper: his pink armor had burnt holes in it, making it look like Swiss cheese, and a few of his ribs were broke.

"The guy's pretty tough," Sam said. "Most of the damage doesn't even show."

"You did break his ribs though," Carter pointed out helpfully. "That had to weaken some of the armor."

"The translator's working," Evan announced. He stood up and backed away from SevenSeven, who was snarling at them.

"Who sent you?" Carter asked. SevenSeven snarled again before answering, "No one." His voice was smoky yet slightly robotic, a strange combination.

"Is there a ransom?" Sam asked.

"Yes."

"Why?" Evan inquired.

If SevenSeven had a mouth, he would have sneered. "The Incursions can pay any price."

Something about this didn't feel right to Sam. There was something nibbling in the back of her mind, something that refused to quiet down. Only Sam couldn't put her finger on it.

"He's lying," Sam finally realized. Carter and Evan looked at her.

"How so?" Evan asked.

"This is too simple," Sam answered. "The kidnapping, the ransom…everything's too normal."

"Well, why shouldn't it be?" Carter pointed out. "Bad guy kidnaps princess, bad guy sends ransom note, king pays it. It seems pretty cut and dry to me."

"Yeah, it does," Evan said, beginning to cotton on. "It's so cut and dry that no one would guess that there's something else going on."

"Let's review," Sam said like a teacher in a classroom. "We find Princess Attea kicking butt at the dam. How could a girl like that get kidnapped?"

Carter raised her hand. "Element of surprise?"

"Could be, but why would she wait until she was near Bellwood to counterattack?"

"…It was planned," Evan said, smiling. "The entire thing was a set up. But who-"

"I think I got it." Carter glared at SevenSeven. "Princess Attea hired you to kidnap her, didn't she?"

Evan looked surprised, Sam looked triumphant (she had been right!), and SevenSeven growled like a feral animal.

"How?" SevenSeven asked.

"It's simple when you look at it," Sam began. "The princess must want to take over the Incursion Empire. Her father expanded it, and the princess might be in line to inherit it, but she's too impatient to wait for his death, or there's someone else in line for the throne."

"So she hires an experienced mercenary to kidnap her so her father would send someone to help," Evan continued. "The money she promised was the ransom money, wasn't it?"

SevenSeven just growled.

Carter went on like she didn't hear him. "Once you and Princess Attea chose a hiding spot, you make it look like she fought back because it would be suspicious if the Incursion princess didn't. One of the Emperor's men finds them, but they're no match for SevenSeven, who makes off with the Princess."

"Emperor Millius is so upset that he'll pay any ransom," Sam said. "By that time, Attea makes another promise with you: you help her overthrow her father and she'll give you all the money you want."

"The Princess must have made friends with her father's personal guard, so when the overthrow happens, they won't try to help him," Evan realized. "She must have made some serious promises to them to make them betray their king."

"Dude, it's an Incursion," Carter scoffed. "They're not known for mercy, even among their own men." Carter turned to SevenSeven. "Are we right?"

SevenSeven gave a begrudging nod. "Just one thing-Princess Attea is a master manipulator. She's been getting the troops riled up against their king for months. They'll never defend him now."

"Good to know," Evan said before turning to the girls. "But we don't have proof. Even with SevenSeven's confession, the princess can still probably spin this on us."

"I only got one idea left." Sam turned to SevenSeven. "We have to scare a confession out of him."

Carter and Evan straightened their backs. The pupils in their eyes became thin, like snake eyes.

Sam went over to SevenSeven and grabbed the top of his helmet, forcing him to look at her. "I got nothing personal against you, but my family's on Earth, and I don't want them to die. So unless we scare you, this won't work."

SevenSeven made a questioning noise as Sam put her hand flat against the metal covering his face. Her hands glowed a fiery red, and the inside of SevenSeven's helmet began to feel like the inside of an oven.

The heat intensified, evaporating all the saliva in SevenSeven's mouth. And then he saw it: a handprint of gooey metal was forming on the inside of his helmet, reaching out towards his face.

SevenSeven had never screamed with so much terror before.

* * *

><p>To make their confession-argument more believable, they waited a few minutes so Sam could wipe the metal from her hand. She had to reheat it so it would slide off her hands, and she had to wipe it on the wall, making it sizzle, but it gave them all the time they needed.<p>

Evan knocked on the door, alerting the Incursions guarding the outside that the interrogation was over. Carter was nearly dragging a shaking SevenSeven, and they all looked grim as they were led back to the throne room.

"Well?" Emperor Millius drawled, his daughter flanking his left. Gwen and Kevin looked at them expectantly.

"We got a confession," Carter announced. "It's an Incursion."

"What?!" the emperor roared, nearly getting out of his seat in anger. "Who?"

"It's someone in this very room," Evan revealed creepily, because he liked the suspense.

"Out with it," Kevin said, irritated.

"It's the person who claims to be the victim." Sam pointed to the king's left. "We accuse Princess Attea of treason against the Incursion crown."

Gasps were heard all around the room, even from the princess. Her father looked at her in shock, and she backed away slowly. But then she regained her composure and glared coldly at Sam. "Where's your proof?"

"The confession from SevenSeven, who you hired to kidnap you," Evan countered, pointing his finger at her dramatically. "You promised that if SevenSeven went along with your plan, not only would he get paid for the job, but he would become a well-paid officer in the Incursion army once you took the throne."

_**SevenSeven didn't say that**_, Erda said in Evan's head.

_Dude, do you mind? I'm on a roll here._

"And it gets even better, you're Highness. Not only did she coerce SevenSeven, but she got most of your Royal Guard in on it, promising them riches if they could backstab you so she could take the throne!"

"That's right," Attea sang, snapping her fingers. In an instant, all the guards had their laser weapons pointed at Emperor Millius. The princess snatched the royal detonator out of her father's hands as some of the guards came over to arrest him.

After he calmed down from his initial shock, Millius said, "I gotta admit, it's a good plan. But why make it so elaborate?"

"I had to make sure nothing was suspicious. Now take him away!" Empress Attea ordered, and three of the guards took Millius out of the room.

"Okay, so now that you've overthrown your father, what're you going to do now?" Gwen asked hesitantly.

Empress Attea thought for a moment, looking at the royal detonator. "It's customary for the new emperor to celebrate with a show of force. The ends of your lively planet will make beautiful fireworks for my coronation. Raff, seize the prisoners."

"Let's move!" Kevin shouted, not that he needed it. Everyone ran towards the Dodge Challenger, and Kevin absorbed the rubber of his tires.

"Heads up!" Kevin, now in full armor mode, ran towards the Incursions, jumped, bounced up, and curled himself into a little ball. With great accuracy he bounced at Attea, slamming into her with an "OOF!" sound. The royal detonator fell out of her hands, and Kevin caught it.

Kevin then ran to the car with Incursion lasers firing at him, and he dove into the driver's seat. He started the car and slammed on the gas, the tires screeching as he made their getaway.

* * *

><p>"Bellicus, Ben's upset; let's at least go back in session," Serena pleaded with Bellicus. Ben was crossing his arms and pouting childishly. Then again, he had good reason to.<p>

"Oh, Ben, Ben, Ben; why don't you worry about me for a change?" Bellicus countered enviously.

"You know I do."

"I propose we come to a vote on saving the world," Ben cut in hopefully. If Serena was on his side…

"That's new business, kid," Bellicus snapped. "We still got old business from before you showed up."

"Well hurry!"

"Of course," Bellicus scoffed. He turned to Serena. "I would like to vote on tabled notion number eight million and three: to save the dinosaurs from extinction."

Ben face palmed. "He's against it," Serena told Bellicus softly.

"Wait, just listen!" Bellicus said hurriedly. "I'm sure I can win you over."

"I say we switch to new business until the Earth isn't in crisis," Ben said in a bout of quick thinking.

"Seconded!" Serena cried cheerfully. She and Ben looked at Bellicus expectantly.

"…Motion carried," Bellicus snarled begrudgingly.

Ben hovered away from the floating, green faces to think. "I propose we teleport the Incursion army a billion light years away. Yes or no?"

Bellicus and Serena looked at each other, and then said in cadence, "No!"

"Disable the Conquest Ray?"

"No!"

"We have to do something!"

"Well, we haven't heard arguments yet," Serena offered, looking at Bellicus.

"Haven't you guys ever decided anything before?" Ben asked exasperatedly.

"Well…"

"I'm going to be stuck here forever," Ben muttered to himself.

"Not if I can help it," said an all too familiar voice. Ben whirled his head to the left so fast he got a crick in his neck. Massaging it, he looked at Ventus, the blond surfer god in a breezy light blue toga that fell at his knees.

"Lookin' good, Serena,"Ventus flirted, winking. Serena giggled like a high school girl before giving an embarrassed, "Hi, Ventus."

"You!" Bellicus growled, glaring at the wind god. "What are you doing here? _How_ did you get here?"

"Helping out my host-slash-vessel," Ventus answered truthfully. "And I can appear anywhere so long as it's considered godly territory; like this plane." Bellicus growled at that.

"Uh, Ventus?" Ben inquired hesitantly.

"Hmm?"

"You know them?" Ben gestured to the green faces.

"Oh, yeah, I know a lot of Celestialsapiens."

"…Celestialsapiens?"

"Yeah, they're like aliens, only omnipotent," Ventus explained glibly. "But enough about that; we got a planet to save." Ventus turned his serious gaze to Bellicus and Serena. "What do you propose we do about the Earth?"

Bellicus and Serena looked at each other. "I want to save it," Serena said finally.

"I don't really care," Bellicus said apathetically.

"And you can't decide how to do it?" Ventus asked Ben.

"They've never decided anything before," Ben cried exasperatedly.

Ventus pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is why I leave all the serious stuff to Erda," he muttered under his breath. Out loud he said, "I propose we let Ben out of his Alien X form so he can fight the Incursion army his way."

"No!" the two floating faces said in unison.

"And why not?"

"Because without me, they would be in eternal deadlock or something," Ben explained quickly.

Ventus crossed his arms and threw his head back in a thinking motion. He stood like that for a minute before yelling, "I got it!" He smiled at everyone. "You let me take over and I'll sort out this entire mess for you."

"I second it!" Ben cried happily.

"NO!" went the Celestialsapiens.

"If you take over we'll never get Ben back!" Serena added.

A dark shadow came over Ventus's normally happy expression. His normal carefree smile had a dark undertone, like he was about to crack and explode and take on the Celestialsapiens if he didn't get his way. And then Ventus's smile grew bigger, becoming an ugly, condescending sneer as he finished humoring the debaters.

"You know, I never did like arguing," he said through his ugly grin. "People yell at each other and say hurtful things and it's so hard to take it all back."

A sudden waft of wind came over Ben, something that didn't belong in space. It smelled like a thunderstorm, like dark clouds overtaking the sun and ready to unleash their electric fury on everything in its path.

"But I am so freaking fed up with staying on the sidelines and watching the world destroy itself because of some person's stupid mistake," Ventus continued, finally dropping that sneer. "And I don't want to sit around and listen to two old cronies bicker about the dinosaurs when I could be doing something right now."

"Old cronies?" Serena repeated, shocked.

"Damn right!" Ventus growled his voice venomous. "This is why the Slayer gods stay out of your arguments; we know when to stop fighting and to work together."

"Oh, yeah, like the Slayer Gods are such perfect beings," Bellicus said caustically. "You couldn't even save your home world, and yet you dare to speak out against us. And you question why no one ever listens to you."

Ventus's sky blue eyes became a dark, stormy gray, his pupils becoming vertical slashes in the middle of his eyes. His blond hair crackled with electricity, lighting up like a dangerous halo. The aura around him smelled like the air after a thunderstorm.

"I may be young, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid!" Ventus spat out, his teeth sharpened into needlepoint fangs. Bellicus and Serena looked at him, mouths agape.

"I see the things you want to keep under wraps. I see things from a different angle than you so-called adults. If you'd just shut up and listened to others instead of shooting your mouths off, the entire universe would be a better place. I know you can't do much because of your damn rules, but you could at least listen to what others have to say!"

"And we did, with Ben!" Bellicus interjected. "But what he's asking for is completely unreasonable!"

"COMPLETELY UNREASONABLE?!" Ventus roared. "What's so unreasonable about wanting to save your planet the easiest way possible? Why should there always be bloodshed and suffering? It never amounts to anything!"

"LIKE YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!" Bellicus bellowed back. "Look at what happened to Gaia! Because you refused to listen to your own subjects, you nearly destroyed them, all because of your own ignorance!"

"I think that's what he's trying to point out," Ben spoke out, his voice wavering. No one looked at him except Serena. Just as well; he didn't want to be at the receiving end of the other guys' anger.

"He learned from his mistakes, and he's trying not to let you make the same ones," Ben explained reasonably. Serena smiled because it made perfect sense to her.

But Bellicus was having none of it. "Like I'm going to take advice from a petulant child having a tantrum. Face it Ventus, unless you get diplomatic skills, no one will bother to listen to you."

The condescending smirk, the holier-than-thou attitude, even the way Bellicus was speaking to him made Ventus see himself as a child. It was like Bellicus was humoring him and his idealistic tirade, like how an adult pretended to take a child seriously before shooting him down with cynical realism.

A furious roar bellowed in his ears as Ventus willed balls of lightning into his hands. "I'm done arguing with you!" he shouted. "We do things my way!" With an angry, hurtful battle cry, Ventus slammed the balls of lightning together, creating a force field around him that was as bright as the sun.

"Ventus!" Ben cried as he covered his eyes. But his voice went unheard over the sound of lightning getting closer to him. The force field was growing larger by the second until all Ben could see was a bright light under his eyelids.

And as Ben was getting swallowed up by the light, a warning sounded in his ears. He should have seen it coming, but now it was far too late.

_The wind cannot be contained, Benjamin._

* * *

><p>"How, exactly, did we get caught?" Sam asked the others. They were in the cell back in the throne room, with Empress Attea sitting casually on her new throne, her feet hanging over the arm rest.<p>

"They had huge-ass laser guns and all we had was Kevin's car. Not exactly the ideal situation," Carter said dryly.

"Don't make fun of my car!"

"She was just pointing out the obvious, Kevin," Evan pointed out tiredly.

And then Attea ordered her servants, "Aim for the molten core. I don't want any big chunks surviving." That brought everyone back to their dire predicament.

As Raff passed the servants, he bowed down at his Empress's feet, saying, "Emperor Attea, light of the Incursion Empire, destroyer of galaxies, keeper of the conquest way, all living creatures-"

"Skip it," Attea said, bored out of her mind. "Got any news for me?"

"Yes, well, SevenSeven is back to being your bodyguard, as you requested." Raff gestured to SevenSeven in the corner, his old helmet and suit fixed to perfection. It was like Sam hadn't nearly beaten him half to death before.

"All right, let's see some conquest!" Empress Attea said jovially, about to press the big red button on the royal detonator.

But just before she did, a blinding blue light came from within the cage, where Alien X stood. Everyone closed their eyes until the flash ended. When they opened them, there stood a muscular, tanned man with a surfer's body, blond wavy hair on his head with a matching scruffy beard. His blue toga was clasped together over his left shoulder with a dark blue broach, and his skirt ended just at his knees.

The Pride made sounds like a choking cat, making Gwen and Kevin look at them and see the looks of utter shock and fear on their faces.

"Who's that?" Kevin asked without thinking. The man slowly turned his face to him, his sky blue eyes cold and dark and menacing. With a jolt of fear, Kevin blanched and back away slowly, as much as the cage would let him.

Gwen searched the man's torso for the Omnitrix symbol, but came up short. "Ben, where's the Omnitrix symbol?" she asked quietly. Gwen didn't know why the others feared him so much, but something in the back of her mind told her that messing with him would be seriously bad.

The man turned to Evan without answering her. And then he did the strangest thing; he got down on one knee, put his left fist on the floor so the knuckles touched it, and bowed his head deeply. "Permission to kill, boss?"

Evan's back straightened and his face became stony, no sign of Normal Evan anywhere. "What do you think?" he asked Carter seriously.

"No," she choked out desperately. "Don't make him kill anyone."

"How 'bout you?" Evan inquired of Sam.

She shrugged. "I usually don't care, but for Ben's sake, I say just disable them."

Evan turned back to the man before him, who still had his head bowed. "I don't care how you do it, but make sure they live afterwards."

The man lifted his head up and gave Evan a dark smile. "I need to let off some steam anyway." He then stood up and cracked his knuckles.

"Hold up!" Kevin exclaimed. He and Gwen had just stood to the side and watched this little sideshow take place, and now they both wanted answers. "Why is Ben acting so weird? Why does he take orders from you? And why the hell is he wearing a dress?"

Ventus heaved a sigh and gave Kevin a look. "In order: I'm not Ben, I'm Ventus. We're two completely different people. I take orders from Evan here because he's my boss, and it's not a dress, it's a toga."

"What do you mean you're not Ben?" Gwen asked, completely confused.

"We don't have time for this," Ventus said exasperatedly. He quickly pushed through the crowd of teenagers and phased through the bars of the cell. Seriously, he just phased through it, like he was a ghost or something. It was weird.

Empress Attea, who had just stood there and watched the scene in the prison cell unfold, was now sneering, trying to hide the unnatural growing fear in her gut. Something about this guy was off to her, like he was a volatile bomb just aching to explode.

"Guards, attack!" Empress Attea ordered her men. Lasers immediately shot towards Ventus, who stood there confidently with a smile on his face.

With a snap of his fingers, the blue lasers stopped in midair, frozen orbs of light with a trail of white right behind them. And then they disappeared, becoming nothing in a blink of an eye.

Attea was about to issue another order when her men suddenly started to spasm, their arms flailing forward, their feet knocking and splaying in a macabre dance. The guards twisted and turned in circles, their eyes bugging out, their mouths gasping for air as their very limbs rebelled against them.

And in a second they fell to the floor like flies, gasping for air, little hints of yellow electricity buzzing around them before fizzling out.

With a relieved and carefree smile on his face, Ventus turned to Raff and SevenSeven. Raff looked at him, appalled, and stuck himself to the wall. SevenSeven looked at him, said something in alien to Attea, and ran out of the room.

Ventus walked up to Attea and kneeled before her respectively. He looked her straight in the eyes and asked pleasantly, "Can I please have that detonator?"

Attea threw the royal detonator at Ventus's head, and he caught it before it could hit him. Ventus stood up and allowed Attea to exit the throne room as quickly as she could.

He then heard the sounds of metal bending, a high-pitched, grinding sound that irritated his ears. He turned to see Carter and Evan freeing themselves from the cell, bending the bars to create a giant, gaping hole for even Kevin to walk through.

Ventus gingerly put the royal detonator on the seat of the throne and turned to Evan. "That good enough for you?"

"Perfect," Evan replied, a satisfied grin on his face.

"Now that the Earth isn't about to be destroyed and we're all safe, could someone please explain what's going on?" Gwen asked as politely as she could through gritted teeth.

"Can we mind wipe them?" Sam asked Evan worriedly. They had every right to know, but the Slayers had kept their heritage a secret for millennia. Just talking about it outside of respected circles was enough for people to start having panic attacks.

"I think they should know," Ventus whispered into Evan's ear. "Even if we mind wipe them, they'll always be times where I won't be able to control myself and take over. It'll be much harder to explain then."

"We'll let Cordelia decide," Carter suddenly spoke out. Everyone turned to her. "We still technically take orders from her, even you." Carter stared pointedly at Ventus. "And besides, she and Isaac have been alive longer than us; they're wiser than the three of us. They have a right to know."

"Good point," Evan said begrudgingly. "Think you can teleport us to the study?"

"Can I teleport you," Ventus repeated smugly. A flash of blue light surrounded everyone, and in a matter of seconds they were in a study with a single desk in the center, a large, ornate fireplace to the left, and a mile-long stretch of bookshelves filled with dusty old books.

At the desk were two people. One was sitting behind the desk wearing a prim, black, three-piece suit with a white dress shirt and a black tie that did nothing to hide the ripped muscles underneath the cloth. He had a chiseled face and a carefree smile that normally made people instantly trust him. He had his blond hair slicked back to a sharp point at the back of his head, and his calculating blue eyes seemed like pools of spring water, clear and cold and seemingly bottomless.

His companion was sitting on the desk at his left. She was wearing a black corset dress with tight black sleeves that showed off her white shoulders. Her skirt flowed towards her ankles, and it was slit thigh high on both sides of the skirt. Her long white hair was straight and fell to her waist, and a strange triangular bang completely hid the entire left half of her face, the sharp end curving ever so slightly underneath her pointed chin. Her face was thin and pointed, with small, blood-red lips and gray eyes that held a cunning light.

But that absolute strangest part of these two creatures was that they appeared ageless. They were neither young nor old, without a single wrinkle of age on their smooth faces. But their eyes told a different story; they seemed aged and wise, a complete contrast to how young they looked.

The woman's blood red lips curled into a smile, revealing sharp white teeth. "We've been expecting you."

* * *

><p><em>And now Gwen and Kevin have to learn the truth. I wonder how that'll go. Until next time!<em>


	26. Bloody Shirts and Golden Lights

Chapter 26: Bloody Shirts and Golden Lights

_I know I said that I disliked Julie-I still do- but the way Ben broke up with her in Rules of Engagement really made my blood boil. He broke her heart with a fifty-pound sledgehammer; no one deserves that. I mean, I could see the relationship going downhill since season three of Alien Force, but it still hurt._

_Also, Attea is my new favorite character. Seriously; she's cunning, strong, a decent leader, and she's got that teenage charm working for her. She's a great antagonist._

_And now to answer reviews:_

_To **Calvin**: I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I know there wasn't much action in regards to Ventus, but I tried to give him more characterization instead. As for his name, yes, I did in fact know that Ventus is a Roman word that means 'wind spirits'. Before I started the story, I had trouble coming up with names, so I looked at mythology for inspiration. I made up Aquaria's and Kirche's names, but I took Ventus from the Romans and Erda from Germany. Did you know that Erda is actually German for 'earth'? The more you know, I guess. :)_

* * *

><p>"Cordelia," Ventus said, walking up to her with his arms outstretched. Cordelia stood up and embraced him quickly.<p>

"How long has it been?" Cordelia inquired when they broke contact. "Didn't we last meet in the twenties?"

"Yes, you were hunting down Al Capone last time I checked," Ventus reminisced. "I never understood why you let the police capture him."

Cordelia waved a dismissive hand. "He was too well-known; we couldn't touch him without the media hounding us."

Isaac took that moment to stand up. He twirled his cane like a baton as he walked briskly up to Ventus. He held out a hand and greeted, "Welcome back, Ventus."

Instead of taking it, the god gaped at him. "_You can walk_? I thought you were paraplegic!"

Isaac now had a funny look on his face. "Why would you think _that_?"

"Whenever we talk face to face, you're always sitting behind a desk."

"That explains a lot actually," Isaac mused to himself. "Anyway, we have a lot to talk about with the kids, so why don't you go to the kitchen and eat something? Consider it an offering to the gods."

Ventus gave a nonchalant shrug. "Sure." He began to leave the room.

Cordelia told Carter. "Go with him. The house has changed since the twenties, and we don't want him getting lost."

Carter was relieved to hear that. "I'll leave the rest of you to talk." She looked at Evan and Sam who were giving her pleading stares and shrugged her shoulders apologetically. She smiled as she and Ventus left the room.

Sam and Evan took their usual spots guarding the door, hands behind their back, feet spread apart, faces stony and unreadable. Gwen and Kevin looked at them strangely before Isaac ordered them to sit. Gwen and Kevin sat in the two fancy chairs uncomfortably.

"Well, don't just sit there and stare at us; start talking," Cordelia snapped at them, making them flinch slightly. After everything they've seen, from Ventus shocking a bunch of aliens to the way he greeted the Valentines had unnerved them. And the way the _femme fatale_ was glaring at them wasn't helping.

Gwen was the first to speak. "What happened to Ben? Who's this Ventus guy?"

Isaac leaned against his desk, his cane laying on the surface. "Ben is perfectly fine. He is simply…asleep for now. He has to whenever Ventus takes over."

"Take over?" Kevin repeated, looking at Gwen. "Didn't Carter say the same thing when Evan turned into that Erda guy?"

"She said that Evan was the vessel for some sort of power," Gwen said out loud. "Maybe the same thing happened to Ben." She turned to Isaac for confirmation. He was smiling at her, so Gwen took it as a yes.

"But what kind of power does that to someone?" Kevin asked. "It's like another person's in Ben's head or something."

Isaac was beaming by now. Cordelia gave a begrudging half smile. "Not as stupid as I thought."

"W-what?" Gwen stammered. "There's actually another person in Ben's head?"

"Not person," Isaac corrected her. "A god."

"A god," Gwen repeated in a monotone. "A god is sharing Ben's head."

"It's like you don't believe us."

"I don't!" Gwen shot out of her seat, furious. "You seriously expect us to believe that a god is sharing Ben's head and taking over his body like he's some…some puppet he can control!"

"But Ventus doesn't have any control," Cordelia said. "Ben's the one in charge most of the time."

"How?" Gwen asked. She didn't care to elaborate.

"I suppose we should explain from the very beginning," Isaac said. "I'll give you the short version."

**Five minutes later**

"You're insane," Kevin stated, glued to his seat. "You people are _freaking insane_."

Gwen turned back to Evan and Sam. "Please tell me he's lying." Evan and Sam said nothing.

"Hello, I'm talking to you." Gwen glared at them. Still nothing.

"Don't bother," Cordelia said, crossing her arms. "I've trained them to be perfect soldiers-for-hire. Well, nearly perfect. They're teenagers; they're bound to make mistakes."

Gwen snorted. "Yeah, I bet," she grumbled darkly and she slouched in her seat.

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't pout. You're too old for that."

Gwen gave her a piercing glare. "Like I'm going to take advice from a crazy person."

"This coming from the girl who dated a sociopath. Not that is was entirely your fault. Sociopaths are very charismatic. You were probably attracted to that," Cordelia said, nonchalantly looking at her nails.

Gwen blanched and sat back in her seat, shocked. How did she know about Morningstar?

Cordelia smirked. "Never underestimate the Valentine underground network. We've got connections everywhere."

"Valentine?" Kevin sat up in his seat, eyeing Cordelia and Isaac suspiciously. "Like, the Valentines who have ties with the mob?"

"Technically, we have ties with the DuBaers, who run the underworld," Isaac corrected him. "It's a common mistake."

"And don't think about escaping," Cordelia warned them. "Evan and Sam are perfectly capable of killing you where you stand. All I have to do is snap my fingers."

Gwen and Kevin looked at each other. They had both been half out of their seats at this point, looking for an escape route out of the study. But when they saw the nearly feral grin on Cordelia's face that showed rows of pointed white teeth, they thought better of it.

Evan had been right about Cordelia. She didn't even have to hurt you physically. Just the threat was enough to make Gwen and Kevin shudder in fear. They both sat down in their seats.

"Perhaps a demonstration is in order," Isaac said. He snapped his fingers and pitch black darkness filled the room, taking out all the lights and filling the room like it was an empty void.

And just as quickly, a light came over them, like they had just switched on a TV and were waiting for the show to come on. Only this TV filled the entire room like a movie screen, and Kevin and Gwen had front row seats.

The picture showed a town with cobbled roads and Roman-styled buildings that were white-washed and shiny-looking. It was a market, with hawkers shouting out their wares in Latin and families milling about in multicolored togas. Children ran between the stalls of products, playing games and laughing.

And suddenly the sky darkened, green lightning crackling in the black clouds. The people in the market looked up and murmured, questioning the sudden weather change. Lightning crackled again, and children shrieked and clung to their mothers' skirts.

A shadow suddenly loomed over them, and green tentacles snaked over the city. It was a giant monster straight out of an H.P. Lovecraft story, with green skin and evil red eyes, almost like the dreaded Cthulhu.

The people in the marketplace screamed and tried to run away, but a giant tentacle crashed down on the civilians, creating a huge cloud of dust that puffed up as buildings crumbled under the giant tentacle.

The tentacle lifted, and Gwen and Kevin had a close up look of hundreds of crushed bodies, limbs smothered together, faces smashed in, blood and brains leaking out of the bodies and creating a horrific river of red liquid.

The scene closed in on the crushed body of a person, a mother. She had had her back to the creature, her arms wrapped around the body of her son as a protective shield. They could see the mangled arms and legs of the child underneath his mother as proof.

The scene opened up to the sky, where Cthulhu was battling dozens of little flashing lights that were zigzagging around him. It was the Slayer gods battling against the behemoth.

Ventus was at the monster's head, striking thunder at the brain. A woman in a blue toga was pelting it with icicles the size of taxis at its heart. Another woman with hair made out of fire was right in front of the monster's face, throwing fire balls at its eyes. And boulders the size of bulldozers was taking out the arms of the monster whenever it tried to strike back. A close up revealed Erda on the ground, near the monster's feet.

There were at least a hundred blurs, all gods, but the monster was quickly overtaking them, destroying most of the city as it tried to dodge attacks.

The scene then switched to reveal a large stone gate with mystical markings dotting the sides. Refugees of the disaster were spilling out of the doors, bloody and battered. The scene turned to a sixteen year old girl dressed in pale blue, her long white hair spilling around her head like a halo. Her face had been ripped apart, her eyes out of their sockets, nose caved in and mouth open, revealing broken teeth.

A woman was kneeling over her and she gently cradled the girl to her chest. Tears were streaming down her face, but she remained stoic. She quickly glowed blue and began to vanish, her form becoming see-through. The light spread over to the girl, and her face began to reconstruct, skin stitching together, nose inflating, gray eyes rolling back into their sockets.

The girl opened her eyes just as the goddess finally disappeared. She stared up at the sky and felt the hair covering half her face. Her uncovered gray eye widened until her pupil was nothing more than a pinprick. And then she opened her mouth and screamed a horrific scream, her voice so full of fear and grief that it ripped Gwen and Kevin's hearts in two.

And then the picture faded, and the blackness receded back into the well-lit study, where Cordelia and Isaac looked at them grimly.

"That was you," Gwen said softly, looking at Cordelia.

"Do you believe us now?" she inquired. She didn't appear to be broken up about seeing herself nearly dying.

"So Ben really does have a god in his head," Kevin said in a monotone. "How is his ego not bigger?"

That dissipated the tension. "Do you have any idea how annoying it can be with someone else inside your head?" Isaac asked with a half-smile.

"I can sort of imagine."

"Does Ben know about Ventus?" Gwen inquired.

"Oh, sure, he's known about it for a while," Isaac answered glibly. "We were the ones who explained it to him."

Something tugged at the back of Gwen's mind. "What was the point of bringing the Pride and us together? Was it just for Ben?"

"You could say that," Cordelia said evasively.

"There's another reason," Kevin quickly realized. "Ben said that the Slayers always have a hidden agenda. There has to be another reason for bringing us together."

"Very good," Isaac said sarcastically. "We're simply tired of the feud between the Plumbers and the Slayers. What better way of ending it than with someone as well-known as Ben befriending the Pride?"

"What started the feud in the first place?" Gwen inquired.

Isaac and Cordelia looked at each other, then looked back at Gwen and shrugged their shoulders simultaneously.

"You don't know," Gwen said incredulously.

"We're five thousand years old, kid," Cordelia said. "We've seen too much to remember everything."

"I think you've had enough for one day," Isaac said with an air of finality. "Gwen, would you call Ben's parents and tell them he's sleeping over at your house? We don't want to worry them unnecessarily."

A long-ago memory sparked in Gwen's mind. "Wait! What about the Omnitrix?"

"What about it?" Kevin asked her.

"Back when we were ten, Ben somehow got the Omnitrix off, and neither of us can remember why or how it happened." Gwen turned to the Valentines. "Do you know?"

Cordelia's eyes became steely. "Ben accidentally got caught up in some Slayer business. The result was him nearly dying. Max thought it be best if you both forgot, and for Ben to have a normal life."

"And how did you get it off?" Gwen asked. "Nothing could take it off."

"We called in Azmuth," Isaac said.

"And he agreed?"

"Well, yeah. Even he had to admit that Ben deserved a somewhat normal life after what he's been through."

"And that's it," Gwen said. "You won't tell us what happened."

Isaac looked at her sadly. "Some things are better left forgotten."

* * *

><p>Carter led Ventus to the kitchen, which looked brighter than every room in the house combined.<p>

"Why's it so dark everywhere?" Ventus whined as he shielded his eyes from the sudden light.

"Ask Cordelia and Isaac," Carter said as she opened the silver refrigerator. "What do you want? We got some leftover lasagna, some salad, a little bit of soup…"

"I was thinking something else." Ventus snapped his fingers and plates of food covered the top of the circular kitchen table. Caramelized pears, braised pork loin, steamed lobster, filet mignon, roasted duck with orange glaze, veal parmesan, beef wellington, and a shrimp cocktail made up the spread.

Carter's mouth began to water when she saw some of her favorite foods. She almost never got to eat like this except for a few times a year. Just because she was rich didn't mean the cooks had the time to make some of the really fancy stuff.

"Help yourself," Ventus told her kindly. Carter saw that he had used his godly powers to magically change out of his usual toga into something more fitting of the modern world: a blue button-up dress shirt with soft, well-worn jeans and black flip flops.

"You actually wear normal clothes?" Carter asked bluntly, eyeing the outfit.

Ventus scoffed. "Togas were perfectly normal back in Rome! Though I do love jeans; they're convenient."

"The Romans didn't wear togas all the time, you know. They only wore them for special occasions."

"Don't go around telling people that. We have an image to keep up. Now, what do you like to drink: Coke, Sprite, Mountain Dew?"

"Mountain Dew would be good." Carter watched as a full bottle of Mountain Dew appeared in Ventus's hands. A glass hovered near him, and the air god poured a generous amount of soda into it. Once it was filled, the glass hovered over Carter, who took it out of midair.

A rectangular table appeared before the stainless steel stove and the cabinets, and the table seemed old and humble in comparison. Two weathered chairs appeared at the sides, and two plates with forks and knives at the sides set themselves on the table surface.

"We're eating together?" Carter asked, surprised. She never did know what to do in front of a god. Of course, this was Ventus, the more lenient of the Slayers gods, but still…

"I felt lonely," Ventus admitted with a hangdog look. Carter had to stifle a giggle as she took her plate and began picking out the things she wanted to eat.

_**I'm so jealous! **_Aquaria said in Carter's mind.

_Don't be; I think Ventus wants to talk about something. Besides, you get to see him in the astral plane, don't you?_

_**Of course I do. I just have a craving for some beef wellington is all. Eat some for me?**_

_Sure thing. _Carter put a heavy slab of the food on her plate and made her way over the summoned table, where Ventus was already digging into the lobster and shrimp.

After a few minutes of eating, Carter had to ask. "What did you want to talk about?"

Ventus swallowed before answering. "What do you mean?"

"There has to be a reason why you're letting me eat here with you instead of shooing me away to my room."

"I said I was lonely."

"There's gotta be more than that."

"There isn't. Not everything has to have a hidden meaning, Carter. Just because you've been raised to think that way doesn't mean it's always the case."

"Wanting someone to talk to isn't a hidden meaning."

"Okay, fine then. What do you want to talk about?"

Carter held up her glass of soda. "Doesn't it seem weird that I'm drinking soda while eating something fancy?"

Ventus raised an eyebrow at the random question. "I don't think so. Why do say that?"

"Well, whenever Cordelia and Isaac have a party, there's always this fancy stuff on the food tables with wine and a bunch of other expensive things, and then there's the normal supermarket-bought pop mixed in. I always thought it looked weird together."

"I thought you prided yourself on being weird."

"I do, but-wait, how do you know that?"

Ventus grinned. "Aquaria told me a while back."

"Damn eavesdropper," Carter muttered under her breath.

"That's my wife you're talking about there," Ventus scolded her, wagging a playful finger in her face.

Carter gently swatted it away. "I guess sometimes I just wish I was a little more normal."

"What's the point in that?" Ventus asked, food forgotten. "Normal's boring."

Carter looked at her hands. "I usually think so too, but sometimes I just wished I didn't live in such an upper-class world, where there are a bunch of rich snobs waiting for Isaac and Cordelia to die so they could get a shot at taking over the hospital, or where the children of rich snobs look down their noses at each other and have no idea how the world is like outside their glass houses, or when people try to use you all because of the amount of money you have."

"In other words, you wished you lived in a normal, middle-class house with a normal, middle-class family without all the worries of the upper-class children."

"I know it's kind of selfish of me to want all that, all because I was lucky to be born in the right circumstances," Carter admitted, "but sometimes I think that, if only for a minute."

"It_ is_ selfish; but then, you're mostly human," Ventus said. "Everyone wants what they can't have, and that's definitely what's going on with you. But being a little selfish never hurt anybody, so don't beat yourself up."

Carter smiled. "It seems better when you put it that way. Not that I ever really beat myself up for it."

"See, I told you being a little selfish never hurt anybody."

Carter gave a sort of laughter. "Then I suppose that dream of wanting to be a singer won't have to go away."

"You want to be a singer?"

"I've only been working on it my whole life!" Carter exclaimed. "I took singing and dance lessons for nine years; it's what I want to do."

Ventus looked thoughtful. "I thought you'd go into medicine, like you're grandparents."

Carter rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter if I go into medicine, I'll never inherit the company. I don't have an eye for business, and I can't stand the smell of sick people." She shuddered at the thought.

"And they're okay with you being a singer?" Ventus asked.

"I never really told them, but I've been heavily implying it all these years."

"You won't go anywhere if you don't talk to them."

"They'll just tell me to consider my options before I become serious about anything." Carter rolled her eyes again. "Like I haven't been serious for nine years."

"Give them some credit," Ventus said. "Out of all the things they've seen over the past five millennia, their grandchild being a singer won't even be in the top one thousand."

"Probably not, but have you seen music these days?" Carter asked. "It's so bad it's not even funny. They'll think I'll turn into the next Nicki Minaj or Lady GaGa or something."

"Will you?"

"HELL NO!" Carter slammed her fist on the table, making the plates jump up and the wood from the table splinter from the impact.

"I will never, _ever_ turn into those creatures! I won't sing songs about sex and drugs and call girls stupid hoes! I won't dress like a prostitute or wear a dress out of meat! I'll be like Paramore, and Linkin Park, and Fall Out Boy, with meaningful lyrics and actual talent! I won't act like Britney Spears or talk like Lil' Wayne! I will change the face of music and bury all those crappy icons into Internet obscurity!"

Carter panted for breath after her impassioned speech, fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white. She looked over at Ventus, who sat there with an amused expression, leaning his elbow on the table and his fist on his cheek.

"Now that will be interesting to watch. Who knows? You might just do it. Just remember who you're friends are when you make it into the big leagues."

Carter gave a half-smile. "Don't worry; I won't."

"What's taking them so long?" Ventus looked at the clock on the stove. "The meeting can't be taking that long."

"They're trying to convince Gwen and Kevin about the Slayer history. It's not going to end quickly."

"Good point." Ventus was about to finish eating his meal when he suddenly winced and cradled a hand to his temple.

"What's wrong?" Carter asked, concerned.

"It's-its Ben," he revealed, gritting his teeth. Seat began to roll down his forehead and he closed his eyes tightly. "He's remembering."

Carter's blood went cold. "_What_? How? Isaac mind wiped him!"

"The takeover must have triggered something. I can't stop it!" Ventus fell to the floor and curled up into a little ball. Carter went over to him with glowing hands, but then bright, blue light erupted from the god's form, forcing her to close her eyes.

When Carter opened them, Ben laid on the floor, curled up as if he were asleep.

* * *

><p>Ben was in a dark place with a spotlight over him. How that worked, he didn't know.<p>

"Ventus, where are you?" he called out into the blackness. All he remembered was Ventus glowing in that space where Bellicus and Serena were, and then he blacked out. He woke up in this dark, empty void with a light shining over him, making the place look even bleaker.

Ben began to walk, the spotlight following him. "Ventus?" he called out again. No answer, like before. This was seriously starting to creep Ben out.

"HEY! ANSWER ME!" Yeah, that didn't work either. Ben sat down with a frustrated huff, crossing his arms and glaring at the pitch black darkness around him.

"You could at least tell me if the Earth is safe," he muttered under breath.

"Don't worry, its fine," a voice said from behind him. Ben whirled around to see a kid in another spotlight, staring dejectedly at him.

Only it wasn't just any kid. It was Ben, at ten years old, with the green cargo pants and the familiar white shirt with the black collar and lone black vertical stripe down the front. And he was covered in blood, a big splotch of it on his torso, drops of it on his pants, and even a smudge on his left cheek.

"What happened to you?" Ben asked, horrified. He kneeled at his younger self, grabbing his shoulders and making sure he was okay.

"The blood's not mine," ten-year-old Ben said his voice tiny. That worried older Ben. Where was the arrogant bravado, the obnoxious bragging undertone? This version of Ben looked small and haunted, with a dead air around him. It was like whatever faith he had had been snuffed out of him.

And then Ben looked into his younger self's eyes, emerald meeting acid green. Not a spark of life was in ten-year-old Ben's eyes. They looked hollow and dead, and chilled older Ben to the bone.

"Who _are_ you?" he whispered.

"I'm you."

"You can't be me, you're…"

"Ten?" He gave a weak smile. "Obviously."

At least he was still sarcastic. "You feel real," older Ben muttered to himself as he let go of his younger self.

"Of course I do; I'm a part of you."

"A part of what, exactly?"

"The part of you that was locked away, never to be remembered."

Ben's eyes widened. "You're the memory of when I got the Omnitrix off, aren't you?"

"Took you long enough to figure out."

"Why did Isaac and Cordelia mind wipe me?" Ben asked. "What was so horrible that they wouldn't let me remember?"

Little Ben plucked at his shirt. "A lot of things happened. You forget more than you realize."

"Why haven't I been able to remember all this time?"

Little Ben sucked in a shaky breath. "Because I wouldn't let you."

"_Why_?" Ben exclaimed, almost near despair. "Why won't you let me remember?" His voice had escalated; it seemed as if he were shouting through the empty void.

"Because I'm the part of you that doesn't _want_ to remember," little Ben snapped, a little bit of fire coming back into his eyes.

"I want to know," Ben said firmly, taking the boy by the shoulders. "Show me."

Little Ben blinked, and a tiny bit of skin on his bloody cheek fell away, revealing a yellow little light shining through. A bigger hole in his chest appeared, and a beacon of light nearly blinded Ben.

"What's going on?" Ben asked, though it was obvious. Little Ben was disappearing; more and more holes appeared on his body, breaking away so Ben could see the locked away part.

"Tell her sorry, okay?" little Ben pleaded, desperate. "Tell her I'm sorry."

And then little Ben disappeared in a shower of gold light, and Ben could remember again.

* * *

><p><em>I made a few time errors here: Nicki Minaj didn't exist when the finale of season one aired, and Lady Gaga hadn't worn that meat dress yet. Kind of sucks to see how music has become since Alien Force first started.<em>

_The next two chapters are all about Ben remembering. There isn't going to be much alien activity since it's about Ben remembering his time with Carter. Still, it should be interesting._


	27. The Boulevard of Broken Memories Part 1

Chapter 27: The Boulevard of Broken Memories Part 1

...You can tell I'm a Green Day fan, can't you? XD

Yes, the author's note isn't in italics. The rest of the chapter is, and I didn't want people confusing this as part of the story.

Okay, the reason this is going to be in two parts is because all together the amount of words is over nine thousand-seriously, it's close to twenty thousand.

...I have been waiting over twenty chapters to use that Dragon Ball Z joke.

Time to answer to reviews!

To **Calvin**: Cordelia and Isaac are immortal and yet they're not. They can live for thousands of years-so to some people they are immortal-but they can still die. Their like vampires: they don't drink blood, but they can live forever unless they get a stake to the heart. Also, the Slayer gods have existed long before the Greek gods did. I'll explain more in a couple of chapters, just be patient.

* * *

><p><em>Mr. Daniels studio was really part of another studio, one for classical arts instead of modern music like the lessons Ben was taking.<em>

_Ben had just finished his lessons for the day and now had the whole day to do nothing but laze about. His father would be coming to pick him up in twenty minutes, and now Ben was in the back of the studio, bored out of his mind._

_He heard noises coming from the other side of the wall, where the classical music studio was. A piano was playing opera with a siren-like voice accompanying it. The voice was muffled thanks to the walls, but he could hear words coming in through the air vents._

_A naturally curious child, Ben decided he should investigate. He did a quick scan of the back of the studio-old chairs, posters of rock bands on the wall, beginner's instruments cluttering about- and when he thought no one was looking, Ben turned the dial on his Omnitrix and turned into Gray Matter._

_The tiny gray alien with large, bulbous eyes hopped up to the nearest air vent and went to work on dislodging it. It was slow going, since the screws were beginning to rust and Ben didn't want to alert Mr. Daniels or the other kids of what he was doing. __When the vent was finally loose, Ben hurried down the metal chute and followed the voice to the other side. He was first blinded by the light coming through the air shaft gate, but when his eyes grew accustomed to it, he saw the other studio._

_The practice room was a small space that looked a lot like Mr. Daniels studio. Cabinets were in the back against the white wall, and posters of Beethoven and Bach and other classical geniuses were tacked on the walls. In the corner were silver stands for music sheets, and folded chairs were leaning against the wall. A black grand piano was in the corner, and the music instructor was playing it, an old woman with her gray hair in a bun and wearing a plain white dress shirt with a blue skirt and smart black shoes._

_Three students were sitting in fold-up chairs around the piano with small black cases next to them. Their packed instruments, no doubt. But in the center of the room was a lone child, singing for her audience. She was wearing a long-sleeved black shirt under a black t-shirt with a simple white cross on the front, black Capri pants that loomed over her ankles, and heavy-looking combat boots. Her gray eyes were closed, though Ben couldn't tell if the left one was thanks to that weird bang covering half her face._

_The song soon ended, and Carter's voice reached a low octave before suddenly ending. She stood there, breathing heavily, sweat on her brow, her face bored and tired._

"_Put more life into your performance!" the instructor snapped at her. "Compared to your earlier practices, you sound completely flat!"_

_Ben bristled a bit and glared his buggy eyes at the teacher. Carter's voice had sounded great to him. Maybe it wasn't perfect-he hadn't heard the whole song-but it didn't sound flat at all._

_When Carter didn't respond, the instructor sighed. "We'll continue next week. I expect to see vast improvement in all of you." The teacher gave her students icy looks as they all muttered, "Yes, Mrs. Griselda."_

_The teacher left the room, closing the door behind her. Carter began to leave as well when one of the other students said, "How pathetic. You don't even have perfect pitch like me."_

_Carter sighed and tried to glare at the girl, but then her face fell. "You're not even worth the effort anymore, Linda."_

_The girl named Linda was no doubt the mean, popular girl of the class. She was pretty, with shoulder-length pale blond hair cast in soft ringlets, a heart-shaped face, and icy blue eyes. She was dressed in designer white Capri pants with a blue belt and a matching blue shirt with white angel wings on the back. Bracelets hung on her left wrists, and her strappy sandals looked like death traps. She was flanked by two other girls who looked almost exactly like her, with soft ringlets for hair, designer white pants, and strappy shoes. The only difference was that the girl on the left of Linda was a brunette with green eyes and wearing a pink shirt with hearts on it, and the other girl was Indian with silky black hair and chocolate brown eyes that matched her skin tone, wearing a simple green shirt._

_If Linda was annoyed by Carter's comment, she didn't show it. Her sneer grew wider, her eyes colder. Her body language was simply screaming queen bee. "Giving up already? I figured you would. I mean, only losers give up in this world. I guess you're one of them."_

_Carter rolled her eyes. "If mocking people makes you feel better about yourself, go ahead. I'll ignore you just like everybody else."_

"_Leave her alone, Linda," the brunette said. "She's obviously not smart enough to dish out a decent comeback."_

"_She hangs out with those losers, what'd you expect?" the Indian girl agreed. All three girls laughed haughty laughs like Carter wasn't even in the room. _

_Carter was about to leave the room, but when she heard them diss her friends, she reared her head at them and snarled, "Their not losers, you vapid harpies!"_

_Linda sneered at Carter's angry expression while her two lackeys cringed. Even Ben did; Carter looked furious, her eyes full of fire and her teeth looking unusually pointy._

"_Aw, look, she's trying to stand up for herself," Linda jeered. "How cute; it's like she thinks she can actually stand up to me."_

"_Yeah, because I'm totally going to let a brat like you walk all over me," Carter said sarcastically. "God, you're pathetic."_

_Linda's sneer faltered just a bit. "How am I pathetic? You're the one who can't even sing right. I don't even know why you bother to come here. It's obvious to everyone you're a talentless loser with no hope of ever getting into the big leagues."_

_Was it just Ben, or was the air getting colder? He breathed through his mouth, and a stream of white vapor blew out of it. The temperature had dropped drastically in the past several seconds, and by Gray Matter's calculations, it would soon be below freezing in this room._

_Linda's lackeys had also noticed the sudden drop in temperature. They began to shiver through their thin shirts, hugging themselves to try and keep warm. "Linda…" the Indian girl cautioned._

"_Shut up, Hillary!" Linda snapped at her. _

"_No, you shut up!" Carter snarled at her. "Every freaking day you stand around with your so-called friends and make fun of everyone else. What's obvious is that no one likes you. They all think you're a mean, spiteful, self-entitled brat who can't be nice even if it killed you!"_

"_Self-entitled?" Linda yelled at her. "I deserve everything I have! I deserve my title as the snow goddess, and I certainly deserve _your _title as the water queen!"_

_Ben had no idea what was going on between them, but it seemed like an old argument. All he knew was that there was going to be a fight soon and Carter was going to need backup. Even if two of the girls were shivering, it was still a three-against-one fight. So Ben climbed out of the vent and quickly made his way down to the floor, where a thin layer of ice was forming._

_So the room _was_ freezing, and according to Gray Matter, it would continue to drop. This did not bode well for any of them. He hurried toward Carter._

_Despite Hillary's and the other girl's objections, Linda and Carter seemed fine. Neither of them shivered in the cold or rubbed their arms to gather a little warmth; instead, they glared at each other with white hot hatred, seething as white mist blew out of their mouths._

_Linda was standing now, her pale blonde hair moving wildly from a nonexistent wind. Her hands were clenched and her teeth were bared and pointed. Her ice cold eyes seemed unusually colder, and the pupils had thinned considerably._

_Carter looked at Linda coolly, eyes as sharp as daggers. Her arms were crossed, her back straight, and a little crown of what appeared to be small diamonds was nestled in her hair. She gave off an aura of power and royalty, like the girl before her was nothing more than an insolent peasant just waiting to be squashed like a bug._

_And in a way, maybe Linda was. She had the insolent part down, anyway._

_Carter's eyes narrowed into slits. "You are only the snow goddess, keeper of winter. You have no right to take the throne of the water goddess. Doing so would destroy the balance the gods have created and have you branded as a usurper. And no one cares for the usurper."_

"_Hima wouldn't be a usurper if Aquaria hadn't cursed her lineage!" Linda accused, pointing a finger at Carter. This left Ben seriously confused. Who was Aquaria and Hima? Why was Linda pointing at Carter like she was the one at fault when it was really someone else? Why was snow falling from the sky when they were clearly indoors?_

_Carter snorted. "Like she didn't deserve it. She only tried to turn Aquaria's friends against her, take her throne, and throw her to Purgatory."_

"_So she was a little power hungry! That didn't mean she had to make sure Hima couldn't be happy again!" Linda protested._

"_You're kidding me, right?" Carter looked at her dumbfounded. "You actually think trying to overthrow the water queen is justifiable?" _

_Linda was about to say something, but the brunette said in a tiny, shaky voice, "S-she's got a p-point t-there."_

"_Shut up, Sloane!"Linda yelled at her before glaring at Carter again. "So when a half Immortal tries to gain power, it's okay, but when a god does it, it's suddenly a crime?"_

"_It is when you're trying to take down one of the Big Four!"_

"_SHUT UP!" Linda screeched as the air above Carter turned from air to sharp icicles. They fell and nearly impaled her, but Carter had willed a silver shield attached to her arm at the last moment and covered her head with it. The icicles shattered to pieces, the fragments falling from the shield to the ground and nearly taking out Ben. He ran towards Carter's feet, screaming a little when the pointy end of a broken icicle nearly hit his head._

_Ben looked up when the shadow of the shield disappeared. Carter was holding her left wrist and he could see a flash of silver on it-a bracelet? And then he saw gray eyes looking down at him, surprise etched in them. For an instant their eyes locked, and then Carter turned back to Linda, her expression steely._

"_Nice tantrum; what are you, five?" Carter taunted, her hands glowing blue. The ice by her feet melted rapidly, and the water flowed upward onto Carter's outstretched palms. The water collected itself into an orb, glowing brightly._

_The wind began to pick up, ice and snow whirling around the two of them like a blizzard. Linda was throwing pointy icicles at Carter. Carter made the orb of water in her hands stretch out into a rope, one hand clutched at the end of it. And then she flicked it at Linda like a whip. The whip shattered the ice into fragments that fell to the ground. Carter pulled the whip back and flicked it again, this time at Linda's feet. The water whip hit her feet with a loud SNAP. Linda shrieked in pain and fell backwards into the three chairs, crashing to the ground. Her two "friends" were nowhere to be seen._

_The blizzard instantly stopped, and Ben could see that everything in the practice room was covered in a thick layer of snow. Icicles were even hanging from the ceiling. Carter allowed the water whip to fall to the ground with a splash, where it instantly froze. Ben hugged himself as he felt the temperature drop into the negative numbers._

_Linda struggled to get up, shooting Carter withering glares as she did so. Carter snapped her fingers and Ben heard a huge CRACK sound from above. He looked up and saw all the ice on the ceiling suddenly splinter and hover towards Carter. She waved her hands in slight circular motions, making the icicles move along with her. And then she stopped moving, all the sharp ends of the ice aimed at Linda._

"_Give up," Carter said, annoyance evident in her voice. Linda looked fearfully at the weapons about to impale her and fell back to the ground, defeated._

_Carter made the icicles fall to the ground as water just as the Omnitrix timed out and Gray Matter became Ben again. The cold air immediately hit Ben and made him shiver, forcing him to hug himself. Carter looked at him, shocked, before regaining her composure. She looked at Linda, sulking on the ground. It didn't look like she saw anything..._

"_Come on," Carter whispered, grabbing Ben's arm. Nearly frozen, Ben let her drag him to the wall, where the buttery ceiling light didn't hit properly, encasing the area near the wall in shadow. Carter put a hand into the darkness and Ben gasped as it disappeared. _

"_Come on," she repeated, putting a foot through the wall. Carter pulled him out of the light and into the dark and Ben could see himself disappearing. He tried to struggle out of Carter's grasp, but he was too frozen to move properly. He closed his eyes just as he phased through the wall._

_Ben opened his eyes to complete darkness. The air was lukewarm and warmed him slightly. Ben moved his free arm and felt around. It was like he was moving through some sort of liquid, not quite viscous but not quite watery either. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Ben looked around to see himself floating in nothingness with only Carter to guide him, her lethal grip clamped on his arm._

_And then they were in the alley outside the studio. Ben had to shut his eyes tightly as the sunlight overtook his senses. He could feel himself warming up, and he soon opened his eyes._

"_You okay?" Carter asked him nervously. She had let go of Ben while he was blind, and she had taken off the diamond band on her hand and was playing with it with her hands. _

"_That was awesome!" Ben whooped, a stupid grin on his face. Carter looked at him startled and the diamonds melted into a little puddle on the ground. So the diamonds were really ice after all._

"_Really?" Ben nodded and Carter gave a little smile of happiness. And then Ben asked, "Why didn't you use your scythe?"_

"_Because there was ice and snow around for me to use," she explained. "I'm not going to defend myself with some weapon when I can just use my own element."_

"_That reminds me; what was that girl talking about?" Ben asked. "What did she mean when she said you cursed her?"_

_Carter pursed her lips. "It's an age-old argument between our families. One of my ancestors cursed one of her ancestors for trying to usurp my family."_

"_And who's the Big Four?"_

"_That's classified information. Now what were you doing in the studio?"_

_Ben began to blush as he remembered why he was in the vent in the first place. "I heard music and came to investigate."_

"_You heard music."_

"_It was really nice music."_

_Carter's lips slowly formed into a devilish smirk. "And who might have been the singer?"_

_Ben's face heated up even more as tried to look away. "Come on, tell me," Carter taunted. And then they heard a car pull up to Mr. Daniels studio, distracting them. They both looked out of the alleyway and saw Ben's dad come out of his parked car._

"_That's my dad, I gotta go." Ben looked at Carter. "See you around?"_

_Carter thought for a moment before smiling. "Yeah, see you around."_

* * *

><p><em>It took a while to convince his parents he was mature enough to walk around town on his own after band lessons, but they knew he had the Omnitrix to protect him from any trouble. He may have been ten, but that didn't mean he couldn't handle the most powerful device in the universe. The only catch was that if there was ever an alien problem, he'd contact Grandpa Max for backup first before going in.<em>

_So there was Ben after band practice the next Saturday, drumsticks in his back pocket and guitar case slung over his shoulder, waiting outside the main entrance. He was looking around, trying not to be too conspicuous as he looked around for Carter. He saw her talking to two other kids, his eyes first trailing to the redhead with hair that looked like it was on fire._

_Carter was laughing at something one of them said. She then locked eyes with Ben and smiled slightly, gesturing him over to them. Ben walked over, suddenly feeling nervous as the two other kids stared at him._

_The redhead had penny-colored eyes that seemed faded almost, like she was always tired. She was wearing a red sweater that looked like a hand-me-down from her older brother and was two sizes to big on her paired with jeans and ratty blue sneakers. The boy was a brunette with his shoulder-length hair tied in a ponytail with rimless glasses over his forest green eyes. He had on a white polo shirt with a green tie and olive green cargo pants with white sneakers. There was something incredibly familiar about him…_

"_Ben, I'd like you to meet Evan and Sam." Carter pointed to each kid respectively. Sam nodded while Evan stared at him, eyes narrowed slightly. _

"_What are you looking at?" Ben said rather harshly, since this guy was giving him the creeps._

"_You," Evan replied. "Are you good or evil?"_

"_What?"_

_He took off his glasses. "Are you the good twin or the evil one?"_

_Ben gaped at he stared at his mirror image. Well, the two of them were almost identical. Evan had longer hair, darker eyes, and was slightly taller than Ben, but the skin color, the frame of the face, and even the way they carried themselves was the same._

_Sam tittered at Ben's expression. "You were right, Carter. He _is_ weird."_

_Ben spluttered, "Your friend has a twin! How are you guys so calm?"_

_The three of them smiled evasively. "Because we know things."_

"_Besides, there's another reason why he's weird," Carter told Sam. "He's _Ben Tennyson_."_

_Sam eyed him suspiciously. "No way."_

"_So this means I'm the evil twin," Evan mused, putting his glasses back on._

_Ben stared at him. "Why are you so hung up about that?"_

"_Have you ever seen the movies? Whenever some guy's doppelganger shows up, they have to establish who the bad guy is so people can root for the good guy. That and the evil twin tends to be the hot one."_

"_No they're not!"_

"_Yes they are," Carter said._

_Sam, who had been watching the interaction with a amused smile on her face, suddenly piped up, "How about instead of standing here staring at each other, we go to the arcade?"_

"_Good idea," carter said. "I'm in the mood for some videogames."_

"_You're into videogames?" Ben inquired. No other girl he knew actually admitted it._

_Carter shrugged. "Not as much as Evan here, but yeah."_

"_Do you play Sumo Slammers?" Ben asked him._

"_Yeah, I love it," Evan said, staring at Ben. He stared back._

"_Did we just become best friends?"_

"_I think we did," said Evan, high-fiving Ben. Sam and Carter shook their heads and muttered, "Nerds," under their breaths affectionately._

"_Before we go, shouldn't we hide Ben's guitar?" Sam pointed out. "Its gonna be a pain to carry."_

"_True," Carter mused. "I know a place. Come on." She led the way to the arcade-a route Ben knew by heart- but just before they went in, Carter veered suddenly to the left of it into the nearest alley. The alley was remarkably clean since there wasn't a dumpster or other trashcans, but it was dank from the lack of sunlight. _

_Carter put her left palm on the wall of the alley. "Aperire spatio ad abscondere obiectum," she muttered. Instantly a break in the wall appeared, which turned out to be a door that looked like the brown bricks of the alley. The door was the size of an average adult; the interior was certainly big enough to hide a guitar. Ben immediately shrugged off his case and gently put it into the dark space along with his drumsticks. Carter then closed the door and the cracks disappeared until it was just a wall again._

_**Open the space to hide the object. **__Ben blinked and shook his head. Where had that come from? It had sounded like an old man was explaining whatever Carter said in his head._

_**I'm not that old, Benjamin. **__Okay, now Ben was freaking out. There was a voice in his head who was responding to his thoughts like he was a crazy person. Oh, no, he was a crazy person!_

_The voice chuckled. __**You're not crazy, Ben. **_

That's what all crazy people think!_ Ben shot back to the voice. He had to calm down, he was just imagining things, he could handle this..._

"_Ben, you okay?" Ben snapped out of it to see Carter looking at him, concerned. She seemed paler than before, and she was out of breath._

"_I'm fine, but what about you?"_

_Carter shook her head. "Spells are naturally harder for me. I'm not a reservoir of magic like some people."_

_Some people like Gwen, Ben thought to himself. Out loud he said, "But didn't you do magic back at the studio? With the shield, I mean."_

"_We're used to that because we've been trained to," Evan explained. "The three of us are only quarter alien; we only depend on magic and our powers when there's a large source of it or if we absolutely have to."_

"_Or if you're Sam, you can just use your powers without having to worry about tiring out," Carter pointed out enviously. Sam shrugged her shoulders and smiled._

"_Wait, all of you have powers?" Ben asked excitedly. "Cool! What are they?"_

_Sam snapped her fingers and a tiny flame sparked on her thumb before sputtering out. Evan held out a hand and stomped his foot and a small rock levitated off the ground and into his outstretched hand._

"_That is awesome!" Ben whooped as Evan dropped the rock. He turned to Carter expectantly, only to have her frown. _

"_I'm too tired to try anything else," she admitted. "Besides, you've seen what I can do."_

_Ben shrugged, a little disappointed, before Sam said, "Come on, let's go to the arcade. I hear they got a new pool table."_

"_You play pool?" Ben asked as they walked out of the alleyway._

"_It's kind of a family thing," Sam said. _

"_She's always trying to get us to play," Evan muttered to Ben. "We go along with it because it's her."_

_Ben vaguely wondered how well these three knew each other for two of them to just do something they didn't want to do just because their friend liked it. He decided not to think about it, just like how he decided not to think about the voice in his head._

* * *

><p>"<em>I'm so going to beat your high score!" Carter goaded Evan as they got on the neared the House of the Dead videogame. <em>

"_In your dreams, Goth girl!"_

"_So I have a chance then." Carter and Evan grabbed the air soft guns and put in the coins needed to start the game. _

"_Goth girl?" Ben muttered under his breath. Sure, Carter dressed all in black, but it wasn't right to stereotype someone as a Goth simply by that, was it?_

"_Carter reads a lot of Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mary Shelley, and William Blake, so kids in our school labeled her a Goth," Sam explained. Ben looked at her as the game started up and Evan and Carter got right to it._

"_I don't know many of those people," Ben admitted. _

"_You're what, ten? Of course you don't," Sam scoffed. "The only reason why Carter knows them is because her grandparents are really into romantic literature."_

"_Since when does Frankenstein count as romance? Unless you're counting his wife; are you counting his wife?"_

"_No, I'm talking about the literature movement from the 18__th__ century. Back then, horror was dubbed romantic."_

"_Why?"_

"_I have no idea."_

"_Die, monster, die!" Evan yelled at the game as he and Carter quickly gained life points and shot at monsters. Ben watched the scores as they quickly climbed past three hundred. _

"_Man, you guys are good!" Ben complimented them. They didn't seem to notice as their scores went past four hundred._

_Two minutes later, the game was over for Carter, who had six hundred points. Evan was still going, firing at the monsters with ease. It was like the gun was an extension of him._

_But despite the rhythm he had, Evan had lost too many lives to finish the game. He had seven hundred points._

"_Told you!" Evan teased Carter, who swatted his arm playfully. "Wanna play something else?" Evan asked the others. Sam's eyes drifted to the empty pool table in the middle of the crowded arcade, gaze so full of desire and longing that Ben had to give in._

"_Wanna teach me how to play pool?" Ben asked, even though he really didn't care. Sam's eyes lit up and she grinned. Ben allowed himself to get dragged to the pool table, past the glitzy videogames which made loud noises and the cheering kids who beat them._

_The pool table had already been set up, and Sam and Evan immediately started getting the cue sticks for everyone. Carter was explaining some of the rules to Ben, but he wasn't listening. He had spotted something else._

_Cash and JT were ten feet away from them, finishing up a game of Avenger. _

Of course_ they had to be there today._

_Ben turned back to the game trying not to let the worry show on his face. He was on the road to being friends with these guys; he didn't need his bullies ruining things for him. _

"_Something wrong?" Carter asked him. Ben pretended he didn't hear her. She raised an eyebrow and scanned the darkly lit arcade and spotted Cash and JT, who had seen Ben and were making their way over here._

"_Sam," Carter said. The redhead looked up and saw the two boys with their wolfish grins, and her eyes narrowed. She nudged Evan, who had already seen them and was now holding the cue stick tightly._

"'_What's Tennyson doing with the freak patrol?" Cash jeered when he finally caught up to Ben. _

"_Yeah, their always lurking around here, playing pool like losers," JT added. "I knew you were lame, but not _that_ lame." He and JT started laughing, and Ben wanted to crawl in a hole and die. He didn't dare look at the others._

"_Pathetic," Carter said, cutting their laughter short. "It's like you're not even trying to bully him. If you really want to get under someone's skin, use big words."_

_Cash and JT stared at her like she was an alien. Ben glared at her; wasn't she supposed to be on his side?_

"_Am-I-speaking-too-fast-for-you?" Carter said in halting English. "I figured; ignoramuses have horrible vocabularies." She turned to Evan, who high-fived her._

_Cash and JT seemed to notice Evan for the first time. "Tennyson has a twin?" Cash said, shocked._

_Evan and Ben looked at each other and Ben shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."_

"_Yeah, well, he looks like a nerd," JT scoffed. _

_Evan threw down the cue stick and grabbed JT by the collar. "Say that again, I dare you," he said in a venomous whisper, boring into his eyes. _

"_Evan," Carter warned, since they were gathering attention. Evan slowly let go, never taking his hate-filled gaze off of JT's, and the two boys slowly backed away before running out of the store._

_Ignoring the stares, Evan turned back to the others, and Ben shirked back when he saw the unbridled hatred in Evan's eyes, the barely controlled anger in his taut muscles. And then Ben saw his face into hurt, his face set in a quivering grimace._

"_You can't react to insults like that anymore," Sam told him sternly. "If you keep getting angry like that all the time, you'll lose the people you love, and then you'll have nothing."_

_Evan gave a small smile. "Straight from the horse's mouth, o wise one?" Sam gave a small laugh and embraced him, pulling Carter along with her. Ben stood awkwardly to the side, wondering what he was doing here. He was obviously intruding on a seriously close friendship; an outsider like him had no right to be here. _

_Ben turned and was about to put the cue stick back on the hangar when a hand clapped on his shoulder. "Let's play," Carter said, gesturing to the pool table. Sam and Evan were back in their positions, waiting expectantly for him. It was like the earlier scene never happened._

_Ben smiled._

* * *

><p>"<em>What are we doing today?" Ben asked as he met up with Carter, Evan, and Sam the next Saturday. <em>

"_We could walk around town," Sam suggested. The other three shrugged and went over to the alley by the arcade so Ben could put away his guitar. They walked past the arcade closer to downtown, where all the stores and cafes were._

_Bellwood was a relatively normal town, so all the teenagers milling about were dressed out of department store catalogs and all the adults were dressed in normal leisure wear. No one really thought the idea of four kids walking around town without adult supervision as weird; after all, Bellwood was a safe place._

"_How about the music store?" Carter pointed to the F.Y.E. music store down the street. Without waiting for an answer, she went towards it, and the others had to walk briskly after her to catch up._

_The music store was large with long aisles of every music genre from all around the world. Videogames made up the right wall; movies made up the left. Ben followed the others into the rock and metal section of the store. They immediately began rifling through the CD displays with Ben awkwardly skimming the selections. He didn't particularly like any band on the radio; he found that the rock songs were pretty good compared to the Top Forty, but he couldn't place a band to the song._

"_Hey, Ben, you ever hear of Attack Attack?" Evan asked him, holding out a CD. The cover had a window open to the night sky with a tied bed sheet going out of it. A loud title covered the window, saying "Attack Attack! Someday Came Suddenly"._

"_This is their debut album," Evan explained. "It's got metal, hardcore punk, and electronic music. It sounds weird at first, but once you get used to it, it's awesome."_

_Ben studied the CD cover for a moment then put the package over the scanner of one of the store's special music players. The music player scanned the barcode and Ben put on the earphones while the machine loaded the CD. Ben then picked the song "Shred, White and Blue" and listened._

_Evan was right; the music was different and darker, something Ben was unaccustomed to thanks to his diet of pop Top Forty songs. But after a minute he started to like it, actually enjoying the hard to understand lyrics and liking the electronic mix in._

"_Not bad," Ben said to Evan. He eyed the price on the CD. "I think I'll buy it." Evan gave a self-satisfied smile and went back to browsing with Sam._

"_Ben, listen to this," Carter said, coming up to him. She held up a Fall Out Boy album. She scanned the CD case and Ben put on the headphones again. Once it was loaded, Carter picked the song._

_It was "Short, Fast, and Loud."_

_Ben turned to Carter, eyes narrowed. "Are you implying something?"_

_Carter looked at him innocently. "No; why would you say that?" Ben jabbed a finger at the digital screen. She smiled impishly, and Ben started to get annoyed._

"_You're mean, you know that?"_

"_I know. So what do you think?"_

_Ben took off the earphones. "It's okay; it's a lot easier to understand than Attack Attack."_

"_And it's on sale so you can buy it if you want," Carter offered._

_Ben looked at the two CDs in his hand and said, "I don't have the money to buy both of them."_

"_It's a buy one, get one half-off sale."_

_Ben studied her for a moment. "Did you know about this? The sale, I mean."_

_Carter shrugged. "I was going to suggest it when Sam said she wanted to walk around town. It seemed convenient for me."_

_Ben couldn't argue with that logic. "I'll go buy these then." _

_As he walked away from her, he couldn't help but notice how different Carter seemed now that they were getting to know each other. First, she was cold and sarcastic, then scared and worried, and now friendly and honest. It just further proved the point that girls were weird._

* * *

><p>"<em>Have you ever wanted to fly without the Omnitrix?" Carter asked Ben seriously. They were on the cliff that overlooked Bellwood, the one Carter's parents frequented when they were teenagers. Ben and Carter were alone up there because Sam and Evan had family obligations.<em>

_Ben looked at the town and admitted that yes, he wanted to fly without the watch. _

"_Close your eyes," she ordered him. Ben did so, and she touched his spine, sending volts of electricity through his body. And then he felt something heavy on his back, but before Ben could ask, Carter pushed him off the cliff._

_For a second Ben was stuck in midair, the pull of gravity grabbing at him while he was temporarily suspended. And then he was falling, falling to the ground at breakneck speed._

_**Use your wings, Ben. **__There was that voice again; the one Ben had thought he dreamed up. He hadn't heard it in a while, so he thought it was a figment of his imagination._

_**Flap your wings and extend. **__Something was stretching from Ben's back, something blue. _

_And then Ben was no longer freefalling through the air; instead he was hovering between the sky and the ground, his mismatched wings flapping to keep him steady. One wing was demonic, a crinkly blue instead of black and outlined in green. The other was angelic, blue feathers dipped in green._

_Carter flew beside him, her own mismatched set black and dipped in blue just like his own. "How does it feel?" she asked as she flew past him._

_Adrenaline from the fear of being pushed off a cliff was still racing through him, making his heart race uncontrollably, making his throat close as Ben gasped for air. But there was something else, something he only felt when he was flying through the air as Stink Fly: exhilaration._

_Ben looked at Bellwood, then at his wings, then finally at Carter, who was hovering near him, waiting patiently. He flapped his wings once more and then soared away._

_**Thirty minutes later**_

"_That was awesome," Ben gasped as he collapsed on the grassy cliff. Sweat was pouring off him like rain and his bones felt like lead. He couldn't be happier._

_And then he felt the weight of his large wings leave his back. "Where'd they go?"_

_Carter sat down beside Ben. "I don't know. Back into your body, I guess?"_

_Ben was satisfied with that answer. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the pretty blue sky, trying to calm his racing heart. _

"_Do you like singing?"_

_Carter started at the question. "Yeah, I do." She seemed downcast._

"_Liar."_

"_I am not!"_

"_Then how come you aren't happy?"_

_Carter heaved a defeated sigh. "When my grandparents found out I was good at singing, they said I should have an appreciation for the classics if I ever want to make it big. I thought they were talking about the Beatles, or the Rolling Stones, or the Beach Boys. Instead they signed me up for opera and other classical stuff."_

"_So why don't you just tell them?" Ben asked, genuinely curious._

"_I don't know…" Carter faltered. "I guess I just don't want to disappoint them after all they've done for me."_

"_I can understand that," Ben admitted, thinking about his grandpa. A sudden thought struck him. "Can you sing for me?"_

"_Sure. What do you want to hear?"_

"_The kind of music you want to sing."_

_Carter thought for a moment, and then, almost shyly began to sing._

"Am I more than you bargained for yet  
>I've been dying to tell you anything you want to hear<br>Cause that's just who I am this week  
>Lie in the grass, next to the mausoleum<br>I'm just a notch in your bedpost  
>But you're just a line in a song<br>(A notch in your bedpost, but you're just a line in a song)"

_Carter's voice slowly gained strength, gathering in volume until her voice became loud and powerful. Her eyes were closed and the wind blew around them, adding their own chime to the song. _

"Drop a heart, break a name  
>We're always sleeping in, and sleeping for the wrong team<p>

We're going down, down in an earlier round  
>And Sugar, we're going down swinging<br>I'll be your number one with a bullet  
>A loaded God complex, cock it and pull it"<p>

_The wind blew stronger now ruffling Ben's hair and making Carter pull her longer hair back behind her ears constantly. The wind seemed like a nuisance, but Carter didn't let it distract her from her little concert._

_And the wind played around them, toying with them until it breezed off the cliff and towards Bellwood, carrying Carter's siren-like voice with it._

* * *

><p>What, Evan was angry? Well, of course, he was bullied for being a nerd. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a short fuse, even for a little while.<p>

Next chapter: The Boulevard of Broken Memories Part 2


	28. The Boulevard of Broken Memories Part 2

Chapter 28: The Boulevard of Broken Dreams Part 2

To **Calvin**: No, Ben did not know about his Slayer heritage when Carter pushed him off the cliff. For all he knew, Carter did a magic spell on him that gave him wings. I'll talk about it in this chapter.

On with the show!

* * *

><p>"<em>So what's on the agenda for today?" Sam asked as the four of them walked around town.<em>

"_Bookstore?" Carter piped up. The others shrugged and headed for Powell's Used Bookstore, where Ben had met Carter. Once inside, Sam and Evan left for their own devices, leaving Carter and Ben in the manga section._

"_Hey, Ben, what's the appeal of Ultra Boy?" Carter asked as Ben picked up a newish copy of the story. _

"_It's all about this kid who has super powers and saves the day and stuff while searching for his real parents and the reason why he has powers." _

"_So it's like _every other_ superhero comic ever made."_

"_It is not!"_

"_Is so!"_

"_Is not!" _

"_Is so!"_

"_Then what's the appeal of Bleach?" Ben demanded to know, pointing a finger at the volume in Carter's other hand. _

"_It's all about this teenager named Ichigo who has to become a Soul Reaper to save his family from an evil Hollow who wants to eat their souls. He also has to save the person who gave him his Soul powers and he has to go through a lot of battles to become the strongest person there is," Carter quickly explained._

"_So it's like every hero comic book there is." Ben crossed his arms._

"_No, because Ichigo is an antihero."_

"_He's a what?"_

"_An antihero is someone who doesn't want to become a hero. The only reason why they chose power is in their own self-interest, or in Ichigo's case, to save his family and friends from the evil soul-sucking Hollows."_

"_But who doesn't want to be a hero?" Ben asked, puzzled. _

"_Because some people just want to have a normal life and not have to worry about aliens attacking their town." Carter pointed to the Omnitrix. Ben covered it with his hand and glared at Carter. He already knew that bad guys would come after him for the Omnitrix and put everyone he loved in danger; he really didn't need to be reminded._

_That reminded him... "Are you an antihero?"_

_Carter blinked. "I...maybe. Why?"_

_"Because you never talk about saving the day or helping people," Ben said. "I mean, with your powers, you could do it. You gave me those wings, remember?"_

_"Yeah, my magic powers are totally at that level," she mumbled under her breath. Ben was about to make her elaborate when someone interrupted._

"_What are you guys arguing about?" Sam popped out from behind Carter and startled the two of them. _

"_Don't do that," Ben told her as he calmed down._

"_Don't do what?" Sam asked innocently._

"_Anyway, what are you guys arguing about?" Evan stood behind Ben, startling him._

"_Why does everyone keep popping up randomly?" he cried exasperated._

"_Ben here think Bleach is just like every other comic book out there," Carter accused him._

"_Of course it isn't," Evan scoffed. "The only reason why the main character uses his powers is because he owes people and he's not scum enough to just sit back and watch as innocent people get hurt. There aren't that many heroes like that out there."_

"_See?" Carter smirked at Ben triumphantly._

"_That may be true, but there aren't any antiheroes like Alucard from Hellsing." Sam held up a volume of the manga. "This guy is so evil it's a wonder why he's the hero."_

"_Sam, that book is for people fourteen and up," Carter said slowly. "How come you aren't traumatized after reading that?"_

_Sam gave a rueful smile. "I'm not psycho for nothing."_

_Carter and Evan gave exasperated sighs. "You are not psycho; you've been tested," they both said in perfect cadence. Ben wondered why they didn't try to jinx each other._

_Sam's smile didn't reach her eyes. "That's what you keep telling me." _

_Carter and Evan looked at each other and shook their heads. Ben once again felt like an extra that didn't belong__. But that changed when Evan held up a One Piece volume. "Have you ever read this?"_

* * *

><p>"<em>Why are you so interested in Linkin Park?" Ben asked in the F.Y.E. music store. The four of them were there again because there were only so many places of entertainment in Bellwood.<em>

"_Because it's political," Carter replied as she paid for her purchase._

"_Why would you want to listen to political stuff?" Ben asked as they got out of line._

"_Because it affects us now. Well, that, and it tends to repeat itself."_

"_Don't you mean history repeats itself?"_

_Carter shook her head._ "_Not in this case. Politics reflect history. Think about it: war, famine, poverty, the destruction of countries… It's all been handed down from generation to generation. Politics reflect on the current world and its history, and if history repeats itself…"_

"_Then politics has to follow," Ben realized. "Never thought of it that way."_

"_Not many people do," Carter pointed out. "But you should really look this stuff up. Just because you're ten doesn't mean you can be ignorant."_

"_And here I thought you just liked Linkin Park because you were crushing on the main singer."_

"_Why would I crush on a married guy?"_

* * *

><p>"<em>When are you going to tell your grandparents that you hate your music class?" Sam asked Carter as they left the music store. <em>

"_I told you I don't want to disappoint them," Carter said. "After all they've done for me I'd feel too bad."_

"_What do you mean after all they've done for you?" Ben asked._

"_They took me in when my parents died and gave me a good home life. I'm thankful to them."_

_Ben stopped in his tracks. "You're parents are dead?"_

_Carter turned around and rolled her eyes. "Don't go all sad about it. I was two when they died. I don't even remember them."_

"_Isn't that worse?" Evan asked._

"_How? If I don't remember someone then it doesn't hurt."_

"_That's a little cruel, don't you think?" Sam pointed out. "They _were_ your parents."_

"_Isaac and Cordelia are my parents now," Carter snapped. "I don't need to learn about people I've never even met."_

"_Won't you regret it, though?" Ben asked, no longer frozen by his thoughtless question. "I mean, if you never bother to get to know them…"_

_Carter pinched the bridge of her nose. "How many times do I have to tell you people that I'll be fine without knowing them?"_

* * *

><p>"<em>How come Evan and Sam aren't always here?" Ben inquired as he and Carter walked away from the studios.<em>

"_Because Evan and Sam don't go here," Carter explained. "They only come here when they have time. Right now they usually have family obligations."_

"_So it'll be us alone most of the time?"_

"_Yeah, I guess."_

_Ben was very happy about that. _

_**Nice going, Tennyson. **__Oh dear God, there was that voice again, and Ben didn't dream it up. He put his head in his hands and felt bile rising in his throat._

"_Ben?" Carter's voice felt far away. He had to get away before he did something crazy. Ben ran into the nearest alley away from Carter, trying not to vomit. He dodged past trash cans and rats as he entered Bellwood's maze of alleys. He could hear heavy footsteps behind him; Carter was after him._

_And then Ben slipped and fell down, landing on his backside. He looked back to see a small patch of ice on the ground where he slipped. Carter had used that to catch up to him. _

"_What's your problem?" Carter demanded to know. Ben leaned against the wall as far away as he could from her._

"_There's something wrong with me."_

"_I can see that, Tennyson. I just want to know what."_

"_There's a voice in my head!" Ben cried, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. _

_And then Carter slapped him, once hard across the face. The sound carried through the air, and Ben lifted a hand to his stinging cheek. He looked at Carter, shocked. She grabbed his shoulders and threw his back against the brick wall. "You're not crazy!" she yelled at him. _

"_How am I not when there's a _voice in my head_?"_

"_It's not just a voice; it's Ventus!"_

_The name meant nothing to Ben. "What does that even mean?"_

"_He's t__he god that's been talking to you inside your head!"_

_"You're lying!"_

_"I only lied to you once."_

_Now Ben was seriously confused. With tears clouding his vision, he asked, "What are you talking about?"_

"_You know those wings you have?" Carter said. "I didn't do that. That's a _Slayer _thing. You're part Slayer, Ben."_

* * *

><p>"<em>So this…god...person was just born in my head?" Ben asked on top of the Valentine cliff (Ben decided to secretly call it that). Carter had used shadow travel to get them both out of the alley and she had thought the quiet peak was safer for a conversation like this. He was a lot calmer knowing he wasn't insane.<em>

"_Yeah; only someone who is one-quarter Slayer can have a god in their head," Carter said seriously. "It's been like that for millennia."_

"_Then how come no one told me?" Ben asked, desperate. "I have a right to know."_

_**Phineas Carmichael should have told you, **__Ventus said in Ben's head. _

_Ben grabbed his head. "Ah! He's talking to me again!"_

"_Calm down!" Carter ordered him. "Let him talk."_

_**Phineas, your grandfather from your mother's side, should have told you. I think he was about to when you got the Omnitrix. He wasn't sure how this would affect me, so he put the truth on hold. **_

Why? _Ben asked the voice in his head._

_**Because the Omnitrix is an insanely powerful device; it can actually stop you from manifesting your powers. And if you don't get your powers before you're eighteen, not only will you lose your powers forever, but everyone connected to a Slayer god will lose theirs as well.**_

"_Whoa, heavy," Ben muttered._

"_I think another reason why no one told you is because no one told your mother," Carter explained gently. "Your mom doesn't have any powers, nor does she age like a half-Slayer. Phineas must not have told her to protect her from all the awful Slayer business."_

Are the Slayers really that awful? _Ben asked Ventus._

_**It depends on who you ask. They're rough around the edges and they only work on their own agenda, so the Plumbers don't like them. **_

_Ben didn't think so. Sure, he only knew three Slayers, but they had welcomed him in even though they barely knew them. They seemed warm and friendly; nothing like what Carter had described them before._

"_Ben, listen," Carter suddenly said. Ben looked at her to see her sitting down on the grass, the wind blowing through her hair in a gentle breeze. "You might be able to use some power right now," she admitted. _

_Ben sat down next to her. "Like what?"_

"_You should be able to listen to the wind to see if a storm is coming."_

_Ben immediately closed his eyes, furrowed his brow, and strained his ears, desperate to hear any signs of lightning. Ventus sighed audibly. __**Not like that, Ben. You can't force it. You have to feel it. Relax and drown out all sounds except the wind.**_

_Ben loosened the tension in his shoulders and breathed meditatively, his eyes still closed. The sounds of the city below him faded away, and all he could hear was the howl of a faraway storm, the thunder booming. But it sounded a little weird to him, nothing like a normal thunderstorm._

"_I heard it," Ben said after a minute, opening his eyes. "A storm's coming. It's far away, but it's headed in our direction. But something's off about it."_

"_It doesn't necessarily have to be a weather storm," Carter explained. "It could be a bad omen you're hearing, like fortune telling."_

"_I can do that?"_

"_You can easily listen for signs of it, yes."_

"_Cool." Ben suddenly sagged, exhausted. Today had been a weird day for him, and that was saying something. He needed to get his mind off of everything. "Hey, could you sing again?"_

"_Why?"_

"_Because I like hearing you sing."_

_Carter blushed, which made Ben unusually happy. "You're weird," Carter said finally. "What do you want to hear?"_

"_Anything's fine."_

_Carter took a deep breath, and then:_

"Messing with the journalists and telling stupid lies

They had a feeling that something was up

Because of the look in our eyes

In fact we didn't know what we were doing half of the time

We were so sure of ourselves and drove a long way through life

Memories make me want to go back there, back there

All the memories make me want to go back there, back there

All the memories, how can we make it back there, back there

I want to be there again."

* * *

><p>"<em>Why are we at Mr. Smoothies?" Ben asked, completely disgusted. "Smoothies are gross!"<em>

"_And once again, you show off how weird you are," Carter said as she walked up to the cashier. Ben stayed behind, glaring at the people milling around the store. There had to be something wrong with them if they liked smoothies, especially the crud from Mr. Smoothies. _

_Seriously, everything in the store freaked Ben out. The store was too cheery, the workers were too smiley, and the mascot was weird. Why did he let Carter drag him in there?_

_**Because you like her,**__ Ventus teased in Ben's head. He gritted his teeth and was about to deny everything when Carter came back with two cups._

"_Come on, let's get out of here," she said. _

_Ben ran out of there like a man on fire. __When he finally stopped, he was halfway down the street. He finally remembered that he left someone behind._

"_Nice going, Tennyson," Carter said sarcastically from behind him. Ben nearly jumped out of his skin._

"_Stop doing that! How did you do that?"_

"_Shadow travel, genius." Carter held out a cup. "Don't worry; I got you strawberry and banana flavor. No one can hate that."_

"_Just watch," Ben grumbled as he took the drink. He put the straw to his lips and, even though his throat felt like it was caving in on him, took a sip. The overly sweet flavor of the smoothie washed over his tongue, and Ben struggled not to gag._

"_See, I told you it wasn't bad," Carter said, smiling. She must have misjudged the look on Ben's face._

"_What'd you get?" He gestured to the drink in her hand._

"_Mint crème; it's a personal favorite of mine."_

_Ben raised an eyebrow. "Now who's the weird one?"_

"_Shut up." Carter took the lead and they walked downtown, unsure of what to do that day. Evan and Sam weren't there again, so there was no one to fill in the silence. What was Ben supposed to talk about?_

_**Get some info on her interests, **__Ventus suggested. __**You know, see what she likes.**_

Are you spying on me?

_**What else am I supposed to do in your head?**_

"_So, Carter, what do you like besides, you know, smoothies and manga and politics?" Ben asked suddenly. He was desperate to make the silence a little less awkward, and Ventus's suggestion wasn't a bad one._

"_I love movies," Carter said, beaming. Ben had to smile at that._

"_What kind of movies?"_

"_All of them, to be honest. Comedy, romance, horror, science fiction; literally, everything. There are so many different types created by so many different people. I want to watch them all and figure out why the directors created something like that."_

"_A lot of directors are making movies off of best-selling books," Ben interjected suddenly. "Movie directors don't make those."_

"_No, but a lot of directors change the storyline. It's a stupid thing to do sometimes, and you wonder why they did it, but sometimes the little changes make the story better. The movie becomes a companion to the original story. I want to figure out how and why they did it."_

_Carter seemed to be shining now. Her eyes were sparkling, her grin was huge, and she talked animatedly about these different works of art. It was odd, seeing this normally quiet girl who allowed only soft smiles to grace her face suddenly become alive at the merest hint of her favorite subject._

_Ben must have been staring strangely at her, because Carter eyed him and asked, "Why are you staring at me like that?"_

_Ben, thinking fast, said, "I'm not looking at you. I'm looking at the most beautiful girl in the world."_

_She smirked. "Really?"_

"_Yes, really," Ben said matter-of-factly. "She's standing right next to you."_

_Carter looked around just in time to see a busty teenage girl exit out of the clothing store they were nearing. Carter fixed Ben a frosty glare._

_Ben rolled his eyes. "I'm not talking about her. She's standing next to you, on your left. But look at her slowly; you might scare her off."_

_Carter slowly turned to her left to see the window of the clothing store. No one was in this part of the shop; Carter could only see her reflection. She blinked a few times, and then turned back to Ben, her face bright pink._

"_That is so corny."_

"_But you like it. _Admit it_."_

"_Idiot." Ben smirked as Carter hurried away, gulping down her smoothie as fast as she could._

_**You kids these days, with your shameless flirting, **__Ventus comically chided him. __**But seriously, good job.**_

_Ben took another sip of his beverage and smiled at the sweet flavor. Maybe smoothies weren't so bad after all._

* * *

><p><em>For Ben, fighting aliens was almost a daily occurrence. He couldn't remember a week where he didn't have to save the town from Dr. Animo or Hex or some other crazy villain. But one thing Ben noted was that they rarely fought him on the weekend. He guessed that even super villains needed a Saturday off.<em>

_Well, except for the smuggling ring. Grandpa Max didn't say much about it, only that he had heard aliens were kidnapping humans so they could sell them to the highest bidder, alien or otherwise. Tetrax's warning of how some aliens considered humans to be a rare delicacy rung through Ben's mind when he heard that._

_Ben and Gwen were in the Rust Bucket with Grandpa Max when he got a call on his cell phone. He listened in for a few minutes, his face growing grimmer. When he hung up, he said, "Change of plans; we're not going in."_

"_What?!" Ben and Gwen cried in unison. _

"_But why?" Gwen asked._

"_Someone else is taking care of it."_

"_But we're almost there." Gwen pointed to the warehouse the Rust Bucket was nearing, just before Max changed directions to get away from it. Instantly Ben thought of Carter and how she said that Slayers take on the worst of missions._

_Ben was not known for his smart decisions, and this time was no exception. He ran to the door and opened it, despite the fast speed Max was going. Ben pressed the dial on the Omnitrix and slammed down on XLR8._

"_Ben, wait!" Grandpa Max shouted after him, but Ben was already out the door. Within seconds he was in front of the decrepit warehouse with old graffiti signs on its crumbling gray walls. XLR8 circled to the back where he found a back door that almost blended into the wall had it not been for the hinges. Wincing at how loud the rusty hinges whined, Ben accelerated down into the heart of the basement, since in the movies all the bad guys did their diabolical stuff in the basement. _

_He hadn't expected to see kids with weapons there, creeping around the corner, half hidden in the shadows._

_They were dressed all in black: black jeans, black combat boots, black sweaters, black fingerless gloves, even black hair. But the most colorful thing about them was the creepy, blank masks covering their faces: one white, one red, and one green._

_XLR8 didn't have time to question them. A crash from ten feet away and a muffled scream distracted all four of them. Ben peered behind a corner just as the other three disappeared._

_The basement was cavernous with dim lighting. Boxes were strewn everywhere with ten bodyguards sitting on them, and the sealed light of a garage door revealed the pickup sight. There was a cage made out of wire mesh in the middle of the room, half filled with people of all ages and races in it, dressed in blue shirts and boxers with rope tied around them and gags over they're mouths. All of them had a defeated air about them._

_But not one girl, who had someone managed to escape. She was struggling against two of her captors, lashing out her feet whenever she could. There was a fire in her eyes that said that she would rather go down fighting than get eaten by some alien._

_One of the guys trying to hold her down got fed up and smacked her, once hard across the face. The sound echoed through the room and reminded Ben that these people needed serious help._

_Using XLR8's super speed, Ben ran over to the bad guy and smacked his face, hard enough to knock him unconscious. With only one guy to hold her down, the girl head butted him and forced him to let go. Ben then grabbed him and threw him into some of the other bodyguards, who were starting to realize they were in trouble._

_The bodyguards surrounded XLR8, and one of them said, "Hey ain't that one of them aliens the boss was talkin' 'bout?"_

"_Yeah," the goon next to him said. "Think if we capture it we can sell it?"_

_XLR8 scoffed. "Like that'll ever happen."_

"_Hey, it can talk!" one of the bad guys said._

"…_No wonder you're in a life of crime. You fail at everything else!"_

"_Get 'im!" The goons surged forward, ready to pummel Ben into submission. And then they heard a soft pop sound, and one of the ten bodyguards fell to the ground. __The other nine turned around to their fallen comrade, seeing the blood that was pooling around his head. A gaping hole was in the back of his skull._

"_What the hell?" one the guards shouted. A slicing sound could be heard and the guard's eyes bugged out as an invisible blade sliced open his throat. He grabbed at the wound and started to kneel when another slicing sound rang out. His head popped right off his shoulders and rolled near XLR8's feet._

"_What's going on?" Ben yelled, scared out of his mind. He looked around in a panic at the other guards, his face mirroring the panic in their eyes. The captives in the wire mesh cage started to cry out and scream, and the girl who had tried to escape was huddled in the corner, sobbing._

_And then he saw them, children with masks weaving through the shadows around the guards, guns and swords and a scythe in small hands. Ben backed away in horror as one by one the men died, shots to the skull and heads lobbed off._

_A beeping sound and a flash of red and XLR8 was Ben again. But that didn't matter. The sight of blood, the sickly sweet smell of death, and the memory of seeing just-alive men dying made Ben go over to the side and vomit. __After the rolling waves of nausea ceased, Ben began to shake uncontrollably. He was so preoccupied that he didn't notice the girl in the corner move towards him._

"_Don't move." Ben could feel the cool metal of a gun barrel against his head. The girl grabbed his collar savagely and dragged him to the middle of the room where all the bodies were. The masked children were waiting for them._

"_I knew you were coming," the girl sneered. "You think you could sneak into my operation and destroy it? News flash, freaks, I've got alien technology. You're freaky powers can't hide you. Though I didn't expect the Slayers to send kids; at least now I have a bargaining chip." The girl pressed the barrel of the gun harder against Ben's head. Ben naturally tried to jerk his head away, but the girl had a metal grip on his collar._

_The Omnitrix had timed out. Ventus had abandoned him. And Ben had been stupid and hadn't listened to his Grandpa Max. Well, it wouldn't matter now, since Ben was about to die. He was in a deep sense of calm, as if he had accepted his fate of dying at ten._

_**Fool; who says I abandoned you? **__Ventus said in his head._

I'm about to die, you know.

_**No you're not. The Slayers won't let you die. And hopefully they won't let you remember this either. **_

What?_ Ben blinked, and all he saw was two children in front of him. White Mask was gone. The girl holding Ben hostage whirled her head around, trying to locate the scythe wielder. And suddenly her grip on him loosened, and he shook her off._

_The girl tried to get Ben back, but then her body went rigid. Ben watched in horror as two icicles penetrated the girl's stomach from the back, destroying her intestines. Blood spilled out of the wounds and the girl vomited dark blood all over Ben's front. Bile rose up Ben's throat again, but before he could vomit again, the girl convulsed and died, revealing White Mask._

_The kid looked at Ben with worried eyes. She reached out a tentative head and said, "You okay?"_

_Ben jerked away and fell to the ground, panic forcing him to crawl on all fours. "Stay away from me!" he yelled in a broken voice._

"_Ben, it's okay," she said, crouching down. "Cordelia will make you forget everything, don't worry. You'll never have to remember this."_

"_You're a monster," Ben said, staring at Carter in fear._

_Carter stared at him for a long moment, and then removed her mask. Ben's heart lurched when he saw the heartbroken face underneath. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears, but then she smiled a grief-stricken smile and said:_

"_I told you, didn't I? That Slayers and Plumbers just can't be friends. I should have listened to my own advice."_

_She stood up and her face became stoic. "Cordelia, we need a mind wiping stat."_

_A frigid hand clamped on Ben's forehead and he jerked away, falling in a pool of someone else's blood. A large amount splashed onto Ben's cheek, the liquid still warm. He tried to wipe it away, and in that moment the hand clamped on his forehead again. _

"_Stay still," someone ordered, the voice compelling. Ben's breath caught in his throat and he began to sit up, his eyesight beginning to fail him._

_He shifted his eyes away from the woman in front of him and looked at Carter. She was standing to the side, staring at him as his vision became dark. All Ben could make out was her stony face as tears began to slide down her pale cheeks._

_Wait, did Carter say mind wiping? What did that mean? That he wasn't going to remember anything? That he wasn't going to remember Carter? No! **No!** He had to remember! He had to! He had to say-_

_Ben's vision went black- he started to fall through a void-_

_I'm sorry-_

* * *

><p>The song is "Memories" by Weezer. Just in case you were curious.<p>

I admit it, the part where Ben says he's looking at the most beautiful girl in the world is from some movie-the name of it escapes me. It's not exactly the same: in the movie, the boy and girl were in a fancy restaurant and there was no teenage girl walking around. I had to rip it off because it was cutest flirt scene between kids I've ever seen, and I can't imagine kids flirting. At all.

If you can tell me the name of the movie, I'll give you one thousand virtual cookies. Yes, they mean nothing, but its the thought that counts. ;)


	29. In Which Newt Gets Flirty

Chapter 29: In Which Newt Gets Flirty

_I apologize beforehand if anything Newt says or does is "innapropriate." Not that I think it is. Seriously, it's super down played. But still, I know someone will take offense and flame me eventually. *sigh* Might as well get the apology out of the way._

_'Tis the end of the Broken Memories Arc (that's what I'm calling it). Now we'll see the aftermath. Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>Ben slowly woke up, his vision blurry. It took him a minute to clear his eyes. He was in a bed with a wooden roof over it supported by oak pillars. Black velvet drapes hung from the rafters, pairing well with the purple bed sheets Ben was tucked in. He turned his head to the left, inhaling a sharp menthol aroma.<p>

Ben's eyes snapped open and he shot up to a sitting position. He was in Carter's room: two black couches in front of a glass coffee table in front of a plasma screen TV with a large case of movies; an oak desk with a home computer on top; the entire back wall converted into a library which was only half filled with books.

Ben tried to get out of bed, but then his legs buckled and he fell to the ground in a heap. He felt like he had been hit and then run over by Kevin's car. Ben slowly crawled back to the bed and pulled himself on top of it. He curled himself into a little ball, gulping down shallow breaths as if it would ease the pain.

_**That's what happens when you let me take over for the first time, **_Ventus explained in Ben's head. _**The more I come out, the easier it gets. **_Ben stayed silent. _**Are you mad at me?**_

…_Yes. No. I don't know!_

_**Ah, the conflicting emotions of a teenager.**_

_This is no time to joke! How am I supposed to react? I just remembered why I forgot my memories and now I have to talk to Carter about it._

_**Are you mad at me, or at Carter? **_Ventus was so serious he took Ben by surprise.

_Why would I be mad at Carter? _

_**Because she might blame herself for what happened to you.**_

And now Ben was confused. _Why would she do that?_

_**She knew what would happen if a Slayer and Plumber got together. But she didn't try to push you away. If she had, then you wouldn't be so conflicted over the deaths of the trafficking ring. **_

_How would I be less conflicted?_

_**...Okay, let's try this again. If you hadn't seen that one girl get impaled by ice, you wouldn't have recognized Carter, and you wouldn't have called her a monster. **_Ben face palmed at the realization.

Ventus continued like Ben couldn't figure it out. _**Because you weren't acting rationally, she thinks you'll blame her for putting you in a horrible position. It's crazy, but some people will put the blame on others just to make themselves feel better.**_

_And she's been living with that frame of mind for five years?_

_**Well, I suppose when a friend calls you a monster, it tends to stick in your mind, **_Ventus said sardonically. _**Wait, I think she's coming back. I'll leave you alone to deal with your mess. **_And then he was gone.

Ben could hear it too; heavy footsteps that could only come from combat boots were walking towards Carter's bedroom, but they were still far off. Ben remembered that as the host of the wind god he had all of his powers, like hearing the sounds that went through the air. His ears weren't very tuned in though. He would have to work on that.

Ben stood up and tried to stop his legs from shaking. His first step made his leg wobble like gelatin and he had to grab his knee so it would stop. The second step fared no better.

The door opened, and Ben turned to see Carter walking in with a breakfast tray of pancakes and water on it. She stopped cold when she saw him.

"Oh, hey, you're up," she said calmly.

"Uh, yeah," Ben said.

"About time too; it's Sunday morning."

"What?" Ben turned to the balcony doorway to see the morning light shining through. "What time is it?"

"Around eight." Carter set the tray on the coffee table. "So how're you feeling?"

"I can barely walk."

"Yeah, that'll happen to you."

Ben was getting fed up with the awkward, tension-filled chit-chat. "Can we stop this?"

Carter eyed him coolly. "Stop what?"

"This." Ben waved his hand around. "We can't keep beating around the bush."

Carter crossed her arms. "Okay, then get to the point."

Ben suddenly choked up. He blinked a few times as he tried to figure out what to say. The way Carter was glaring at him wasn't helping.

"Well, Tennyson?"

"I'm sorry, okay?" Ben squeaked out. He gulped and tried again, his voice much stronger. "I'm sorry for not listening to you. I'm sorry for being stupid and thinking that the feud between the Plumbers and the Slayers didn't affect us. And I'm sorry…" His throat was closing in on him-his heart was too heavy-it was getting hard to breathe-

"I'm sorry for calling you a monster."

Carter blinked a few times, allowing the apologies to sink in. She hadn't expected this. She had thought for sure Ben was going to blame her for making him see the death of a young girl. It was totally illogical thinking, but then Ben had been thrust into a dire situation. Rational thinking would have been farthest from his mind. But know that he remembered…

"You mean that?" Carter asked tentatively, allowing some weakness to break through. "You're not just saying that?"

"Why would I lie about something like this?" Ben demanded to know. "It wasn't your fault-okay, it was kind of your fault, but it was mine too. I should have listened to you and maybe it wouldn't have happened."

"It probably would have," Carter said weakly. "You would have been traumatized, but you wouldn't have two and two together and possibly blame me."

"Why would I blame you _now_? Back when I was ten, yeah, I get that, but now?"

Carter heaved a great sigh before answering. "I've been working for a long time, Ben. I've seen a lot of terrible things that no one should have to see. And one of them is how people put the blame on someone else when something goes horribly wrong." She smiled hollowly, her eyes downcast.

"But that's totally unfair," Ben protested quietly.

"It is, but some people refuse to listen." Carter wasn't smiling anymore. She was staring at Ben seriously, waiting to see if he was still going to turn into a raving lunatic and accuse her of things that weren't her fault. Ben couldn't blame her.

Ben swallowed and took Carter's hand into his own. He looked her right in the eyes-right into her cold, hurtful eyes-and said, "I know you had a job to do, and what I said was out of line, and nothing I say or do is going to fix it. But I promise you I won't yell or scream at you and say things that make you hate yourself. Can you forgive me?"

Ben was looking at her with wet eyes, like he was about to break down and cry right there. Which was what Carter felt like doing. For so long she had kept this poisonous suspicion in the back of her mind that Ben would hate her if he remembered the Incident, hate her for killing someone right in front of him, hate her for something she possibly didn't have much control of. It was like for five years a hand had been squeezing her heart, making it choke her, and then suddenly, miraculously, the hand's lethal grip lessened until Carter's heart felt light again.

Fat tears rolled down Carter's face as she said, "Idiot."

"…Can I take that as a yes?"

"What do you think?"

"Oh, thank God," Ben said, relieved. And then he noticed that Carter was still crying, even though she stubbornly refused to make any sobbing noises. She was drying her eyes with her sleeves, sniffling twice as she did so. After that she blinked a few times, her eyes still wet and tinged with red. Her bottom lip trembled slightly, and she tried to bite it to make it stop.

Ben's heart melted a little when he saw that. He embraced her, making Carter put her head on his shoulder as she lightly gripped the back of his shirt. They stood like that for a moment right before Carter looked Ben right in the eyes and kissed him.

It was short and with closed mouths, but it was sweet like spring water. Electricity was coursing through the two of them, and the corny expression of fireworks came to mind. It ended too soon.

When they broke apart, Carter smirked as Ben's surprised face. "How was that, Tennyson?"

Ben swallowed as he zeroed in on the mischievous glint in Carter's eyes. He squeaked out, "Can I have another?"

Carter's smirk grew wider as she said, "Maybe later. Right now you have to eat." She gestured to the cold breakfast tray.

Ben was more than a little disappointed.

* * *

><p>Gwen and Kevin had both slept in guestrooms at the Valentine manor, which looked like it belonged in a fancy hotel. They even had mini-bars in there. Not that they touched any alcohol during the night.<p>

Gwen and Kevin were now in the living room after breakfast. The living room, like the rest of the house, was dark and full of priceless antiques and paintings. Two sleek black couches surrounded a rectangular coffee table with an expensive, Roman-styled vase on it, and Munch and Vermeer paintings gave the place a haunting look.

"What's happening peeps?" Evan said like a dork as he walked into the room. He had a goofy smile on his face, unlike Sam, who had followed him in.

"No one will tell me what happened to Ben back when we were ten," Gwen snapped at him, not in a good mood.

Sam rolled her eyes. "I told you last night that you honestly don't have much memory of it. Even if you tried to remember, there's a good chance that you lost the brain cells that held that blocked memory."

"Besides, maybe you don't want to remember," Kevin pointed out morosely.

"I still have a right to know!"

"Okay, fine," Evan said, "here's what happened. There was a human trafficking ring that Ben tried to stop. We warned your grandpa to stay away, but Ben went on ahead anyway. You tried to get into the building, but Cordelia and Isaac wouldn't let you. After a bit of arguing you were about to use your magical kung-fu on them to get through, so Cordelia wiped your memory."

"That's it?" Gwen asked incredulously.

"Pretty much."

"Then what happened to Ben?"

Evan's expression darkened. "He saw something he shouldn't have."

"Which was what?" Kevin asked curiously.

"Trust me, you don't want to know," Sam told him seriously. The tension between the four of them could have been cut with a knife. That is, until someone unexpected walked through the door.

"Evan!" Newt cried out. He was still wearing the jeans he had ripped up himself with a chain connecting two belt loops; beat up Van sneakers, and a white long-sleeved shirt under a ripped up black t-shirt with a realistic human skull on the front. His light blonde hair was still messy, and he had the triangular Valentine bang that completely covered the left side of his face.

When he saw his best friend, Evan shouted, "Newt!" and put him in a headlock before tackling him to the ground.

Kevin stared at the two of them before asking Sam, "Do they always do that?"

"Unfortunately."

When the boys finally untangled themselves, Newt said, "Sam-A-Lot!" and hugged the redhead.

"Sam-A-Lot?" Sam mouthed to Evan, who shrugged.

"Where's Kitty?" Newt asked when they broke contact. "I had a hunch she might need emotional support right about now."

"Wait, she didn't call you?" Gwen asked.

"No."

"Then how did you know?"

"With telepathy," Newt said seriously.

"Newt, the chances of you having telepathy are slim to none," Sam said.

"That's what you think!"

"Okay, okay, calm down." Evan held up his arms. "Is there another reason why you're here?"

"Actually yes," Newt said. "I have a few questions about a Galvanic Mechamorph."He put his thumb and his index finger to his lips and blew a whistle. A dog-like alien with black skin covered in a green circuit board design with a single eye for sight bounded into the room, happily bleating "Ship, ship!"

"You have a Galvanic Mechamorph for a pet?" Evan asked admirably as the little creature eyed Evan. It began to shake its hindquarters like a tail and rubbed its head against his leg. Evan scratched his head affectionately.

"Where'd you find 'im?" Kevin asked Newt.

"He was trying to morph into my dad's lawnmower," he explained. "I was about to attack him when he turned back to normal and leaped into my arms. I've never seen him before then, so I thought maybe he knew Carter."

"Okay, but why does he like Evan?" Gwen asked as Evan rubbed Ship's stomach.

"I'll ask her when she comes down," Newt said.

"Newt?" Carter asked, walking into the living room. She no longer looked like she'd been crying.

"Kitty!" Newt cried, spreading his arms out wide and ready to embrace his favorite cousin.

"Ship!" the little Mechamorph bleated happily, jumping right into Carter's arms and purring happily. Newt put his arms down awkwardly.

"How did you get in my house?" Carter asked the pet happily.

"That would be me," Newt said, holding up a hand. "Yeah, he really likes the two of us. Do you know why?"

"Ship is actually a cast-off of some other Mechamorph who needed some Plumbers to get his space ship back online," Carter explained honestly. She would never lie to Newt; they were too close.

"And that's how he found you?"

"Pretty much."

"That doesn't explain why Ship likes Evan so much," Kevin pointed out, curious.

"Well, Ben was there too…"

"He found you on your first date together?" Gwen cried out. Carter looked at the farthest wall with sudden interest.

Kevin snorted with laughter. "So does Ben know Ship considers you as his mother?"

Carter glared at him as Evan and Sam choked back snickers. "I'm not a mother, I'm an owner. And I never told him."

"Why not?" Newt asked.

"The two of them didn't exactly get off to a good start." Carter touched the back of her head where Ship attacked her. Ship mewled an apology. Carter smiled and patted his head reassuringly.

Sam pretended to cough and said, "You're such a mom."

"I heard that!"

"You should have," Sam said in her normal voice.

"So you're never telling Ben about Ship?" Evan asked worriedly.

Carter thought for a moment. "I probably should." Everyone nodded their agreement. "I don't know how I'm going to tell him though."

"Maybe you should try easing him into it," Sam advised. "Mention Ship and see where it goes."

Carter handed Ship to Newt. "I'll try that. But just in case; Newt, you're the adoptive father."

Newt gasped loudly. "I'm gonna be a daddy?" He started to scratch Ship's head with a giant grin on his face. "I shall pet him and love him and call him George."

"His name is Ship," Carter reminded him gently.

"Then I shall pet him and love him and call him Ship."

* * *

><p>Ben was walking down the hall from Carter's room with an empty breakfast tray when he bumped into her. "Oh, hey, how're Gwen and Kevin?" he asked a little nervously. His lips still tingled from the earlier kiss, and he had been thinking about it for a while. Briefly he wondered if Carter was thinking about it.<p>

Carter figured they were talking about him being the vessel of a god. "They seem fine," Carter said as truthfully as she could. "A little weirded out, but that's understandable."

"Good." Ben held up the tray. "Which way to the kitchen?"

"I have a better idea." Carter moved towards the middle of the hall where a painting was hanging. She took it down to reveal a little door behind it. Carter opened the dumbwaiter and put the breakfast tray on the lift. She closed the door, hit a hidden switch, and listened as the pulley system gently dropped the tray to the kitchen.

"You're house is full of surprises," Ben said casually, a smile stretching across his face. He felt invigorated now, the effects of Ventus's takeover nearly gone. Sure, Ben still felt a little drained and it was a little painful to move, but it was much better than it was before.

_**Did I forget to mention that the first takeover side effects are short-lived? **_Ventus joked in Ben's head.

_Shut up, you!_

_**How rude!**_

"Hey, Ben, remember our first date?" Carter suddenly blurted out. She didn't really know another way to bring up the subject. Suddenly talking about it seemed the best way to go.

A little startled, Ben said, "Of course I do. Especially since Ship kidnapped you and all."

This wasn't going to go well. "Aren't you being a little harsh? Yes, he did something bad, but he didn't know any better."

"Yeah, I bet every criminal loves that excuse," Ben said sarcastically.

"Don't be an ass," Carter snapped at him. "In Ship's case, he really doesn't know any better. He's like a puppy; you have to train him."

"I really don't care," Ben said meanly. "I never want to have anything to do with him ever again."

Before Carter could retort, Newt popped out from between them and hugged Ben. "Ben, dude, how's it going?" he said as his hands slowly shifted down to Ben's lower back. Ben made a choking sound as his body stiffened.

Carter grabbed Ben out of Newt's grasp and wrapped her arms possessively around his waist. "MINE!" she growled at Newt, much to Ben's utter delight and slight embarrassment.

Newt rolled his eyes. "You know I was joking. There's no way I'd go after you're current boy toy." Carter eyed her cousin suspiciously before slowly letting go of Ben.

"Uh, what just happened?" Ben asked timidly, a little shook up.

"Newt, I know you look like a girl, but that doesn't mean you can flirt with just anyone," Evan scolded him, walking down the hall with Sam, Gwen, and Kevin.

"Your mouth keeps moving, but all I'm hearing is, 'Let's play videogames!'" Newt joked, gesturing down the hall. Evan smiled and went after him.

"And where do you think you'll be playing videogames?" Carter asked him suddenly. Newt stopped in his tracks.

"…In your room?"

"Oh, no, mister, you're going to phone your parents and tell them that you're here."

"They're on an overnight trip; they won't miss me."

"Then you'll march your ass and get yourself a train ticket because _someone_ took my subspace card!"

"I don't have it! You just lost it."

"No I didn't. I don't lose things." Carter stared pointedly at Sam.

"It's probably in your room," Sam pointed out.

Carter opened her bedroom door. "Then help me look for it."

Sam stalked into the room. "I don't see why I should when you lost it."

"I didn't lose it you took it again!" Carter said just before the bedroom door slammed shut.

Ben blinked and turned to the others. "What just happened?"

* * *

><p>Before following Carter when she was having that talk with Ben, Newt handed ship off to Isaac for a few minutes so the alien dog could have a playmate. Isaac had looked at him strangely for a minute before agreeing. Newt vaguely wondered if his grandpa already knew about Ship.<p>

Now back in the living room, Evan put a finger to his lips and tiptoed to one of the Munch paintings. He gently lifted it off the wall to reveal a small, boarded up air vent. The board had simply been fitted into the air vent without any sort of sealing tape or glue, so all Evan had to do was finger at the sides and pry it open. Soon the voices of Carter and Sam echoed through the room.

"I can't believe you're accusing me of something you lost!" That was obviously Sam.

"I wouldn't accuse you if you weren't constantly stealing my stuff!" said an indignant Carter.

"I don't steal your stuff; I just take it without asking!"

"That's the same thing!"

"No it isn't!"

"Yes it is!"

Evan put the board and fitted it back into the small vent. "They're gonna be up there a while."

"I've never heard them fight before," Gwen noted concerned.

"I have," Ben said. "They do this almost all the time at school. They don't usually yell though."

"Weird friendship," Kevin stated.

"Their fire and water; what'd you expect?" Newt joked, a smile spreading across his face. It was met with an awkward silence.

Gwen decided to break it. "So, Cordelia told us about Ventus."

Ben rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah…."

"Hey, Ben, how big is your head?" Kevin piped up. "I mean, you've got a god livin' in it and all."

"Ha, ha," Ben said sarcastically.

"Isn't that weird though?" Gwen asked. "Having someone else besides you sharing your body?"

"Well, I freaked out at first, but then I got used to it," Ben said honestly. "It's not so bad actually. He usually leaves me alone, and when he does talk to me, he gives me really good advice. But for whatever reason, he likes teasing me." He added that last bit with a frustrated sigh.

Newt hugged him from behind. "That's because you're so tease-able." He prodded Ben in the cheek with his finger.

Ben shook him off as quickly as he could. "Will you stop that? It's creeping me out."

Newt rolled his eyes. "Dude, I'm just messing with you. People think I look like a girl no matter what I do. Sometimes I flirt and play along with it."

"Isn't that weird though?" Gwen asked curiously.

Newt shrugged. "Sometimes, but then I get to see the look on their faces when they realize I'm a guy. You know, like Ben's priceless face." Ben was appalled, and it showed on his face. Kevin held his stomach while he laughed violently. This was followed by Evan's guffaws, Newt's roar of laughter, and Gwen's sniggers.

When they finally calmed down enough, Kevin suddenly asked, "So Ben, you got any powers?" Ben held up the Omnitrix and gave him a look. "No, I mean because of Ventus."

"Yeah, I do."

"...Could you show us?"

Ben worriedly looked around the room. "Nothing in here is easy to electrocute, is it?"

"Carter's upstairs; she shouldn't be affected," Evan told him reassuringly.

Ben, relieved, held up a hand. Concentrating, he generated a little ball of electricity, smiling as it crackled. Gwen and Kevin got up from the couch and stared. Ben threw the ball high in the air and caught it. He clenched it and it disappeared, leaving behind the scent of ozone. He looked at Kevin and Gwen, who were staring at him worriedly.

A sudden fear washed over Ben. For some reason, they were looking at him like he was a freak. "Uh, guys?" he asked timidly.

Gwen walked up to him, putting a hand on his face. "Your eyes, Ben," she said slowly. "What's wrong with your eyes?"

Evan grabbed his shoulder roughly and spun him around. He studied him and then said, "It finally happened."

"What?" Ben looked around at the others. "What finally happened?"

Gwen riffled through her bag and got out a small compact mirror. She held it to Ben, who looked at his reflection. Instead of seeing the normal round pupils, they were thin like snake eyes. His mouth opened and closed, unsure of what to say.

"Now concentrate on your teeth," Newt ordered him. "Make them grow into fangs, like this." He opened his own mouth to show off his normal human teeth. But then they grew sharper, becoming needle pointed like wolf teeth.

"Dude," Kevin said in shock.

Ben looked in the mirror and desperately tried to concentrate. He imagined his teeth growing longer, becoming sharper-a pain shot through his gums, a horrible pain that made him cry out. He nearly dropped the mirror as he clamped a hand over his mouth, tears springing in his eyes.

"Look in the mirror Ben," Evan ordered him gently. Ben shook his head, trying to push back the tears. "Look."

Slowly and with great effort, Ben looked at his reflection. His eyes still looked like snake eyes, but now very human tears were falling from them. Newt gently pried his hand away from his mouth, and Ben got a good look at his new sharp teeth. He ran his tongue along the pointed edges and nearly drew blood.

Gwen and Kevin were still staring at him, looking at him like he was a monster. Newt was patting his back reassuringly, telling him that the pain would stop soon. Evan was looking at him stoically. Ben took none of this in as he stared at his reflection, desperately willing it to change back into his human one.

And then it did. Slowly and painfully, his teeth morphed back into their normal size, and his pupils became round. He let out a gasp as the pain finally stopped, though it did nothing to stop the tears falling down his face.

And then Evan said, in an almost sad voice, "Congratulations; you are now officially one of us."

* * *

><p><em>So, Newt abusing the fact that he looks kind of like a girl. You can tell there was some anime influence there. Of course, it could happen in real life, but I've never seen a boy get mistaken for a girl, so I don't know about that. <em>

_So, what do you think?_


	30. The Admiral Ackbar Trap

Chapter 30: The Admiral Ackbar Trap

_Glad to see no one took offense to Newt last chapter. Then again, in the future someone might, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there._

_Once again, a warning about Newt. I won't tell you what it is-spoiler alert- but please don't take offense to anything he says. It's only, like, one blurb, but still._

* * *

><p>"What do you mean, I'm finally one of you?" Ben snarled through his tears. "I've always been one of you!"<p>

"Yeah, but your teeth never turned into fangs," Newt said, his own pearly whites retracting into their normal form.

"Haven't you ever noticed how our faces changed when we're fighting?" Evan asked. Ben looked at the others, who were sill staring at him, horrified. Ben flinched and quickly shook his head.

"Seriously?" Evan raised an eyebrow. "It wasn't like we were trying to hide it." Newt gave him a look. "Okay, maybe we were trying to hide it a little, but mainly from Gwen and Kevin. They weren't supposed to know everything before now. But you-" Evan pointed at Ben- "you should have realized before now."

"Oh, would you look at that, I didn't," Ben said caustically as he finally stood up. His eyes were red but dry. He turned to his cousin and said, "Will you say something?"

Gwen snapped out of her reverie and said, "What am I supposed to say? This is beyond freaky!"

"You've seen me change forms with the Omnitrix; what's so different now?"

"Because now you change, but you still _look_ like you," Kevin said quietly. "Before, it was just turnin' completely into different aliens. Give us some time, dude." Ben threw up his hands in frustration.

"This isn't exactly easy for me either, you know! My god, my mouth feels like I got shot with a needle full of Novocain."

"Oh god," Evan murmured as he fell to the floor in a heap. Every stared at him strangely.

"Um, Evan has some bad memories with Novocain," Newt explained sheepishly. Evan was now turning himself into a ball, holding both of his hands over his mouth as he scrunched up his face.

And to make matters worse, the sounds of fighting could be heard from upstairs. "Shit," Newt muttered.

* * *

><p>One of the couches had been overturned and the balcony doors were smashed to bits when Newt and the others ran into Carter's room. Sam and Carter were nowhere to be seen.<p>

"They're outside!" Evan was the first to run through the broken glass and onto the small white balcony. The others followed suit, cramming together as they watched the two girls duke it out.

Sam aimed for a roundhouse kick at Carter's head. She dodged and aimed for Sam's gut. She blocked and twisted Carter's arm. She somersaulted over Sam's head and kicked her in the back.

Aquaria's Tai chi ch'uan versus Kirche's Northern Shaolin kung fu; this was gonna be good.

Sam breathed deeply and punched a fire blast at Carter. The Goth drew the water out of the grass and used it as a shield. The fire burst into steam.

"Haven't seen Carter do that in a while," Evan noted from the balcony.

"Shouldn't we stop them?" Gwen asked the others.

Newt scoffed. "And get in the middle of that? I don't think so."

Down below, Carter turned the steam back into liquid water and whipped it at Sam. The redhead ducked down and aimed another fire blast at the feet. Carter dodged to the side.

Sam jumped up and blew fire out of her feet. Carter fell to the ground as the fire hit a tree instead. Sam twirled in the air, fire shooting out of her hands and feet. Carter cart wheeled out of the way just as the fire hit the ground with a loud explosion.

"Damn, Sam can kick butt!" Kevin commented. Ben gripped the side railing and chanted under his breath, "Come on, come on…"

Water shot out of the grass again, leaving behind dried up brown patches on the lawn. It swirled around Carter in a protective ring before growing giant octopus tentacles.

Sam scowled and aimed fire at her. Carter moved her arms, and three of the tentacles blocked the attack. Steam was converted back to water, and two tentacles made their way towards Sam.

Sam jumped in the air, fire bursting from her soles like a rocket. She flew high up in the air and propelled herself towards Carter from the top, where she was weakest.

Carter smirked and the octopus form disintegrated. She jumped back just in time for Sam to crash into the ground, leaving a small, smoking crater behind. She stood up from the smoke just as the leftover steam began to crystallize.

Thick ice covered Sam's arms and feet. She was stuck there unless she could melt it. But Carter wasn't having any of that.

More water shot out of the plants and trees and Carter waved her arms around so the collection was around Sam. The droplets glistened beautifully in the sunlight until they turned into icicles.

"Clever girl," Ben noted from the balcony.

"Last chance, Sam," Carter warned her. "Say you have my subspace card."

"I don't fucking have it!" Sam snapped.

Carter shrugged. The icicles zoomed towards Sam, ready to impale her. She could hear Kevin screaming her name-

Fire burst past Sam's lips, a great roar of flame that destroyed the ice, the rest of the brown grass and a few trees. Carter jumped far back from the heat with narrowed eyes. Gwen whipped up a mana shield to protect her and the others from the intense flames.

When Sam stopped, the ground below her was charred a dark gray. Smoke rose from the ashes of the dead garden. It was a giant crater of blackness.

Sam's hair was now smothered in flames. Carter willed ice to cover herself like one of Kevin's armors. They eyed each other for a moment.

Gwen dropped the shield. "They're still at it?" she asked horrified.

Newt shrugged nonchalantly. "They won't stop until one of them admits they were wrong."

With a battle cry Sam and Carter launched themselves at each other.

"ENOUGH!"

Instantly Carter's ice armor was gone and Sam's hair was back to normal. They looked at each other, terrified, as silver cobras shot up from the dead grass. They wrapped themselves around their waists and arms like ropes.

Kevin and Ben yelled out their names and was about to go save them when Evan yelled out, "DON'T!"

"Why the hell not? Kevin snarled.

Evan gulped as he began to sweat bullets. "Cordelia's coming."

Hissing sounds could be heard as Cordelia made her way towards the two girls in her black corset dress. Everyone gasped and flinched in horror as every single lock on Cordelia's head turned into silver snakes, writhing around as she glared at them.

But that wasn't the worst of it. Oh no. Cordelia's pupils turned into slits and the whites of her eyes turned black, while her gray iris' glowed gray. Sam and Carter dropped on their knees, too terrified to look away.

Cordelia couldn't turn them to stone, but the glare was even worse.

"Seriously?" she roared at them. She waved an arm across the devastated garden. "Can't you two settle your differences without destroying something? Do you have any idea how much of a pain it'll be to fix this?" She face palmed. "You're worse than Evan and Newt when they fight, and that's saying something."

"Hey," the two boys muttered, too terrified to voice their opinions any louder.

Cordelia knelt down in front of the two girls and put a finger to their foreheads. Then she bent them back and covered them with her thumbs. Sam and Carter's eyes widened.

The forehead flick created the sound of a sonic boom. Both girls were sent back thirty feet, flying through the air before loudly crash landing on the other side of the fence.

Cordelia stood up and snapped her fingers. A flash of bright light and the garden was restored to its former glory. Her hair no longer had snakes in it, and her eyes returned to normal.

Evan waited a beat, and then turned to Gwen. "And that's why we're terrified of Cordelia."

* * *

><p>"<em>You<em> took my subspace card?" Carter exclaimed indignantly back in Isaac's study. Cordelia was sitting in Isaac's chair for once. It looked weird.

Cordelia slapped the green card with the angel-and-devil wings print on the desk. "You left it on your desk while you were in the shower. You should have been more careful."

"I'm sorry for accusing you of taking it," Carter said to Sam, who was beside her.

"I'm sorry for saying you lost it," Sam said. "You're right when you say you don't lose things. You're way too organized for that."

Cordelia nodded her approval. "I think we all learned something today."

"Yeah, you're a snoop."

"Ah, ah, ah." Cordelia wagged a finger at her granddaughter. "It's not snooping; it's testing you for your future as a Slayer operative."

"That's just a fancy way of saying you want to get under my skin."

Cordelia got out of the chair and stood in front of the desk. "I'm a parent, it's what I do. Now, Sam, could you leave the two of us for a private talk?"

Sam raised an eyebrow as she said, "Sure." She softly closed the door behind her.

Cordelia leaned against the desk, arms crossed. "How are things between you and Ben? Do I have to talk some sense into him?"

"No!" Carter said vehemently. 'Talk some sense into him was really code for 'beat the shit out of him until he cries blood'. There was no way Carter would do that to Ben. The High Breeds, on the other hand…

Cordelia's cold expression softened somewhat. "Is everything okay?"

"It's great."

"It better be." Cordelia stood up and awkwardly wrapped her arms around her granddaughter, patting her on the head.

"…What are you doing?"

"Hugging you. Last time I checked parents did that."

"But why? You're not a hugger."

"Because something good happened to you. And while you usually go to Isaac for all your hugs, I don't think he'll be too happy to hear you and Ben have a stronger relationship now."

They broke apart and Carter smirked. "He doesn't want his precious little girl getting a boyfriend, does he now?"

Cordelia smirked. "You know it. Where is he anyway?"

"I thought he was playing with Ship."

"Who's Ship?"

* * *

><p>"Alchemy labs?" Gwen asked excitedly when Carter joined the rest in the living room.<p>

"You're not thinking about leading them down there, are you?" Carter asked Newt, who was clearly trying to impress Gwen.

"I don't see why not." He shrugged. "No one's going to be there this time of day and even if we get caught you can just go all 'I am the vessel of Aquaria, hear me roar' on them."

Carter rolled her eyes. "It doesn't work that way."

"Yes it does," Sam corrected her. "How do you think I got the Alchemy Master to let me back in after last year's science project?"

"You mean when you blew up half the labs for trying to recreate an ancient Greek portable sun bomb?" Evan asked blithely.

"You really did that?" Kevin asked. Sam nodded sheepishly. "Did you ever recreate it? Successfully, I mean."

"No, but I did create a new shade of red."

* * *

><p>"<em>What you'll find if you don't mind__I'll be there not far behind/__Side by side every step of the way/__And if you find yourself on low/__I'll be there tomorrow/__You're like my favorite film on repeat through the night..."_

Kevin and Gwen's jaws dropped when they heard the silky smooth sound of Newt's voice resonate inside the tunnel. The dark steel doors to the alchemy labs creaked open, and medieval style torches lit up the interior.

"You're amazing," Gwen gushed as Newt finished.

"I'm not the vessel for the art god for nothing."

"So are there ranks for this god stuff?" Kevin asked Ben.

"Yeah, it's kind of like Roman mythology, except the guy playing Ventus isn't the leader," Ben said as he followed the others through the doors. "Oh, and there are four main gods instead of three."

First was the library, a large room full of giant dusty spell books on shelves that reached the ever-reaching ceiling. The ceiling was domed with a skylight that lit up with multicolored lights from the outside. The torches lined the walls and gave the room a harsh, medieval feeling.

Gwen was in heaven.

As she gathered books in her arms, Evan said, "Don't you want to see the alchemy labs?" Gwen absentmindedly put the books down and followed the others into the next room.

It wasn't a room at all; it was a drafty hallway with a stone floor that led to hundreds of wooden doors. Evan opened one and revealed an ordinary school appropriate science lab with all the lab equipment put away.

Gwen visibly deflated. "I thought the alchemy labs would be more, I don't know, medieval-looking."

"It kind of was until last year's generous donation." Evan pointedly looked at Sam.

She gave him an innocent look. "It might have helped with smoothing things over with the Alchemy Master."

"Hey, guys, check this out!" Newt had found a small plastic tub and was filling it up with water from the sink. On the desk beside it he was quickly sketching out an transmutation circle with some chalk. When it was finished he put the filled tub on the chalk drawing and put his head in the water.

"What is he doing?" Ben asked.

"Alchemy," said Carter.

The symbol suddenly lit up and the water shimmered. And just as soon as it brightened the light died down. Newt lifted his dripping head up to reveal his new black hair color.

"DUDE!" Ben shouted gleefully. "That is so cool!"

"I know right?" Newt shouted back.

"How'd you do that?" Kevin asked surprised.

"All Slayers learn basic alchemy," Newt explained as he shook his head like a dripping dog. "It's part of the curriculum."

"Can you do anything else?" Ben asked hopefully.

"I can do anything as long as it follows the Law of Equivalent Exchange."

"Which is…?"

"The Law of Equivalent Exchange is the main rule of alchemy," Gwen quickly explained. "Basically, you can only transmute a substance into something completely different if it's of equal value. And the only way to achieve it is by sacrificing something."

"Newt sacrificed his original hair color to convert it into something different," Carter further explained. "He had to transmute the properties of water so he could do it. That's also something of equal value."

"In a nutshell," Newt sang.

"But man, do we look alike," Carter noted. "No wonder people think we're twins."

"Wouldn't it be funny if I dressed up as you? Then we'd really be twins."

"Please don't," Ben pleaded. "As much as I would love two Carters, I don't really like the idea of you wearing her clothes."

"You're just saying that because you don't want to confuse the two of us," Newt said childishly before sticking his head in the tub again.

* * *

><p>Gwen was back in the library skimming a book from the stack she picked out earlier. She would have been in the lab with the others, but after a few transmutations, it got a little old for her. Gwen never thought she would consider something magical-slash-scientific to be annoying, but the way Newt and Evan and the others carried on…it got on her nerves a little.<p>

So Gwen was sitting by herself, reading the giant spell books to calm her nerves. It was so soothing; the feel of the library, the musty smell of the giant book, the quiet-

"Hey, Gwen, you in here?" Gwen looked up to see Newt walking into the library, his hair damp but back to normal. A little annoyed, she glared at him. He tried again. "Why aren't you with the others?"

"Transmuting stuff is fun at first, but after a while of watching tables turn into chairs, it gets kind of old."

Newt nodded his agreement. "Yeah, but now I think Evan's trying to turn Kevin's hair green or something. I don't think you want to miss that."

"I wouldn't want to be in the same room as an angry Kevin."

"Good point; better warn Sam about that." Newt eyes widened for a moment and he got something out of his back pocket. "By the way, is this yours?"

Gwen took it and saw that it was a flier for the dance her school was hosting. "Where'd you find this?"

"I found it on the ground on my way to the living room," Newt explained. "I know the others don't go to that school, so I figured it belonged to you. I was going to give it to you earlier, but with the whole Ship thing…"

Gwen softened, just a little. "You're surprising perceptive."

"It's a gift," Newt said with a shrug. He gestured to the flier still in Gwen's hands. "So, are you going to that?"

She looked at the spring formal flier. "I don't know, I need a date and I don't know who to ask."

"Got any guys you know at school?"

"Well, yes, but they either have girlfriends or I just like them as friends."

"Why do you need to need to have an actual date for these things?" Newt asked, genuinely curious. "Why not just go as friends?"

"Because it's not done that way," Gwen said gently, since it was obvious to her that Newt never went to a formal party before.

"And just so you know, I've been to formal parties before," Newt snapped at her. Gwen gasped and stared at him. How did he know?

"I'm psychic."

Gwen had thought he was telepathic.

"I'm that too."

"Okay, stop!" she cried, now really freaked out. The book slid off her lap and to the floor as she stood up. "This is too freaky!"

"Really, I think it's awesome," Newt said, all serious like. "And I know I don't look like it, but I've been forced to go to a lot of these stupid formal dances and stuff. I know what to expect."

Gwen settled back in her chair. "Really? How so?"

"Both of my parents are social climbing politicians," Newt explained. "I grew up learning how to talk to successful and powerful people and all the etiquette that comes with it. A spring formal at your school shouldn't be that different."

"I don't think the kids at my school are at the same level as politicians," Gwen pointed out.

"No, but they're still rich and snobby and think they're better than everybody else."

"Does that include me?" Gwen narrowed her eyes at Newt.

"No, you're the exception," Newt said with a casual smile on his face. "I'm just saying that even though their parents may not be as rich or powerful as mine, the kids will still think of themselves as better than everyone else because mommy and daddy can pull some strings. I know the type, Gwen. I'm technically one of them."

"So you're saying you can handle these people?" Gwen held up the flier.

"Sure, and to prove it, I'll take you to the dance."

Gwen blinked. "As a real date or just as friends?"

"Just as friends," Newt promised.

"I don't know…"

"Is it because of the whole Slayer thing?" Newt asked suddenly.

Gwen stared at him. "What does _that_ have to do with anything?"

"Well, you saw what happened to Ben earlier..." Gwen gave an involuntary shudder. "See, you're not okay with it!"

"I'm not okay with it happening to my cousin," she corrected him. "It has nothing to do with you."

"Doesn't sound like it," he muttered under his breath. Gwen gave an annoyed sigh and gently grabbed Newt's hand.

"It's gonna take me a while to get used to this whole Slayer thing, I admit it," she said. "It'll take a while for Kevin to get over it too. But that doesn't mean you're any different because your face looks strange." Newt was staring at her, expressionless. Gwen held up the flyer. "Newt, will you take me the dance?"

"Isn't the guy supposed to ask?"

She snorted. "We're just going as friends, remember?"

Suddenly the doors to the library burst open. Gwen and Newt quickly retracted their hands just as Evan ran into the room.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" he screamed as he ran through the library. Just then Kevin ran into the room, his hair bright flamingo pink.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Kevin roared as he chased Evan through the tunnels in all his pink-haired glory.

Newt and Gwen started laughing as soon as the library doors slammed shut. When they stopped rolling on the floor, Newt said, "I'll take you to the dance. What's your favorite flower?"

"Yellow roses."

"I'll make sure to get you that as a corsage. Oh, and Gwen?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

* * *

><p><strong>Monday Night<strong>

Newt had left with Ship the night before. After helping to explain what Ship was and how they got him, Cordelia and Isaac let them keep him (not without extreme amounts of teasing, of course). They had also promised not to mention Ship to anyone, especially Ben. Carter was vaguely worried about how Ben would react if he ever found out about Ship-or if he ever figured out everyone else knew before he did-but there were more pressing matters to attend to.

"Ben, you sure this is the place?" Kevin asked worriedly as he and the others neared the warehouse.

"That's what the tip said."

"Yeah, that's what worries me. _You_ don't get tips. _I_ get tips. You got no connections."

"Guy's got a point," Evan added unhelpfully.

"I got connections!" Ben protested childishly.

"Like who?" Kevin asked incredulously.

"…Carter gives me tips!"

"And he does know me," Carter said with a smirk.

"Oh, you're _so_ supportive," Ben said sarcastically.

"You wouldn't be dating her if she wasn't," Sam shot back.

"If you're so worried, we could just take a look and see what's up," Gwen said, not wanting to stall any longer. She created some big pink mana steps for the others to climb to the top of the warehouse. Ben and Kevin chose that route while the Pride opted for shadow travel.

"You sure you don't want to come with us?" Kevin asked Sam as he walked up the steps.

"Not that I don't trust Gwen; it's just I prefer more stealthy methods," Sam answered as she disappeared into the dark with the others.

"What's so great about…what'd she call it?"

"Shadow travel," Ben said to Kevin. "Basically you turn yourself into a shadow and travel through space. It's probably better if you didn't try it."

"Why not?" Gwen asked.

"It's creepy."

Ben's team was now on top of the warehouse, looking in through the horizontal windows placed strategically on the roof. Forever Knights were hard at work placing cargo into giant trucks and using carts to load the crates. A few of them were standing on platforms, checking things off from their clipboards. Illegal alien things were clearly afoot.

Kevin placed a hand on the rooftop and quickly absorbed it. Completely covered in armor, he growled, "Forever Knights!"

"Up to no good, as usual," Gwen said, glowering at their forms.

Ben turned the Omnitrix dial to Chromastone and said, "Showtime." He slammed down the dial and the metamorphosis began.

"Chromastone!" he yelled before jumping in the air. He crashed through the windows, littering glass everywhere. He plummeted to the ground below with a large _BOOM_. Kevin landed right next to him while Gwen quickly used her mana staircase to get herself down.

"All right, nobody move!" Chromastone ordered the Forever Knights. The Knights ignored him and continued loading more crates into trucks.

"Hey! Did you guys hear us?" Kevin snarled at them.

"I don't think so." Gwen walked up to a Forever Knight moving a heavy crate and put her hand through the box. Her hand went right through the hologram like it was air.

Evan suddenly appeared behind the Forever Knight and said, in his best Admiral Ackbar imitation, "IT'S A TRAP!"

"Hate to say it, but he's right," Sam said as she and Carter appeared out of seemingly nowhere.

"Looks like whoever gave Ben that tip knew what kind of people we were after," Carter noted. "Question is who's been spying on us?" She jerked her head to the right. "I know you're over there. Come out!"

"The Valentine spawn always were smart," a masculine voice said as the Forever Knight holograms began to disappear. The trucks phased out and the Knights stopped moving as they vanished.

"Magister Ghilhil of the Plumbers," the voice said from behind a pillar. He got out of the shadows to reveal the signature white suit with black pants and silver detail. His green head wasn't covered by a fishbowl, but he did have a white helmet covering his cranium and half of his face. Only his mouth was uncovered.

As Magister Ghilhil walked toward them, he corrected himself. "Magister _Prior_ Ghilhil. I'm the commanding officer of this entire quadrant. You're all under arrest for impersonating officers of the law."

"Dude, you just said you recognized me," Carter pointed out. "You can't arrest a Valentine without prior knowledge. And besides, why would you arrest them?" She jerked her thumb at Ben's team.

Chromastone walked up the magister just as he turned back into Ben. "Why are you arresting us for stopping crime?"

"I'm arresting you for impersonating a Plumber," Ghilhil explained again. "We're the only law enforcement organization recognized by all signatories in the Milky Way treaty."

"You're not the only cops recognized," Sam blithely said under her breath.

Ghilhil glared daggers her way. "The Slayers are regretfully a part of the Plumber organization, so technically we're the only one." He turned back to Ben. "That makes what you've done an interstellar-class felony."

"Sounds bad," Kevin said mockingly.

"If I were you I'd keep my big mouth in check," the magister scolded him. Ben couldn't suppress the immature grin spreading across his face.

"If I were you, I wouldn't threaten a guy who could kick your can halfway up the street and back," Kevin shot back.

"You feelin' froggy, son?" the magister asked quietly. "Then _jump_."

Sam grabbed Kevin's arm. "Don't listen, he's baiting you."

"Listen to the Slayer," the Magister said sardonically. "They know how to save their own hides."

"Don't do it," Gwen said, narrowing her eyes at Kevin. He looked between the two girls and smirked at the magister.

"Ribbit." Kevin ran up to him and aimed a punch at his face. Ghilhil grabbed the fist and twisted it painfully. He took the scruff of Kevin's shirt and threw him over his head. Kevin crashed through the wooden crates before landing painfully on his back.

Kevin slowly sat up, and the magister loomed over him. "Stay down, son."

Kevin put his hand on some new metal and absorbed it, covering up the old armor. He threw another punch at Ghilhil's face, actually connecting this time. His head went back, and Kevin punched him again, this time in the chest.

The magister staggered back and got his footing again. Massaging his jaw, he said, "As much as I would love a few more rounds with you, I don't have the time." He got out a standard Plumber weapon and shot a red ball at Kevin. The ball split in two, connected by a thin red string. They encircled him in a tight bind.

And to make matters worse, the two red balls lifted Kevin up in the air feet first so all the blood rushed to his head.

Ben immediately set the dial on his Omnitrix to Goop. Evan got out his guns. Sam's eyes glowed red.

The magister aimed his gun at them. "Don't."

Gwen glared at him. "Do."

Ghilhil shot at them, and Gwen used her powers to deflect it. As Ben changed into Goop, Evan shot at the magister, just barely hitting him. Carter and Sam ran up to him and socked him the jaw with one powerful punch.

The magister fell to the floor, but not without aiming his gun at the two girls. And then green slime rushed over him like a tidal wave, constricting his movements and throwing the gun out of his hand. Ghilhil tried punching through Goop, only to get more stuck.

Goop put the Magister into a tight body bind and made him fall to the floor. The slimy alien got all up in his face and he hissed, "Wanna talk? Let's talk."

* * *

><p>Up on the roof, Kevin and Ben were back to normal and Ghilhil was standing sternly before them. Gwen was right next to Ben, Kevin was behind the magister, and the Pride was huddled in the corner from them.<p>

"I don't see why we gotta talk to him!" Kevin said as the wind began to pick up. Magister Ghilhil glared at him.

"Because I'm the Plumber officer in charge of this whole section of space."

"Then you know we're the good guys," Ben said.

"What I know is over the last couple of months I've gotten several reports of you kids passing yourselves off as Plumbers," the Magister explained.

"Our grandfather was a Plumber," Gwen said sharply.

"Max Tennyson," he said solemnly. "He was a good man, but that doesn't make you Plumbers." He turned to Kevin. "And _you_. You don't even have a claim by blood."

"Yes I do," Kevin hissed. "My father-my _real_ father…" His voice broke and his eyes widened before looking away.

"Kevin…?" Sam said softly.

"Nothing," he said harshly. He crossed his arms. "Never mind."

"The point is we shut down Plumber operations five years ago for a reason," Magister Ghilhil continued. "Though the Slayers refused to listen to that order."

"That's because you never listen to us," Evan said casually. "What comes around goes around."

"Anyway, after Vilgax was destroyed-"

"After _I_ destroyed him," Ben corrected him.

"Credit due," Ghilhil allowed. "But Earth is a backwater level two planet. Without an imminent threat I can't allow Plumber resources to be wasted here. I've got over three hundred inhabited planets under my watch."

"Look, Magister," Ben began. "Can I call you Magister?"

"The other Plumber we met was named Magister too," Gwen suddenly said. "Magister Labrid."

"Magister is a rank, not a name," Ghilhil said with a hint of humor in his voice. "You pretend to be Plumbers but you know nothing about the job."

"I never pretended to be anything!" Gwen said hotly.

"Aliens are attacking our planet!" Ben cried. "We're just fighting to keep it safe."

"I read a number of reports on your activities," the magister said. "There is no evidence of significant alien activity here."

"Of course not, that's where we come in," Carter piped up. "We'd send you the reports, but you might accidently-on-purpose delete it as spam."

"Besides, we've seen them. I wrecked one of their ships," Ben said.

"I've assigned a new magister to this region," Ghilhil said. "He'll check in on Earth sometime in the next few months. If you have proof, present it to him and let him take care of business."

"A few months?!" Ben cried out in disbelief.

"I'm inclined to give you kids a break. Ben, you wear the Omnitrix, so you already have special dispensation. The Galvan have requested that you not be interfered with in minor matters." Ghilhil turned to Gwen. "And the reports I've read that indicate, as you say, you've never impersonated a Plumber."

He turned to the Pride. "I have no idea why a bunch of Slayers are helping you out, but since I can't do anything with them without special clearance, I'll let them off the hook as long as they adhere to the agreement."

"You mean you're too afraid of Cordelia to do anything about it," Sam mocked.

Ghilhil ignored her and set his sights on Kevin. "But you…"

"Yeah? _What_?"

"You've got a record. You've done time in the Null Void for a variety of crimes."

"He's changed," Gwen said passionately.

"He did his time," Ben elaborated. "He's been helping us."

"He's been impersonating a Plumber." Ghilhil walked over to Kevin and held out his hand. "Give me the badge you stole."

For the first time, everyone heard Kevin plead. "Don't take my badge, man. Please."

"Now! Or you're going back to the Null Void."

Kevin begrudgingly got the Plumber badge out of his pocket. Looking at it for a long moment, he gave it to the magister.

"Thank you," the magister said. "You're free to go. But if you ever get involved in Plumbers' business again, I don't care what Azmuth says, you're all going to the Null Void." He glared at the Pride. "_All_ of you."

The magister pressed a button on his suit and a white light enveloped him. The transport teleported him off the rooftop and left the kids alone.

Horror began to dawn on Ben's face. "Is that it? Is this the end?"

* * *

><p><em>The song is "Standing Still" by Orange, if you were wondering.<em>

_So, review? Please?_


	31. Not So Sparkly Vampires

Chapter 31: Not So Sparkly Vampires

_Guys, how would you feel if I did an Alice in Wonderland parody? It's been rattling along in my head for a while now, and I think it could work. Don't worry, though, it won't happen right away. I have to wait until Albedo comes up, and even then it won't happen for ages. _

_If you're not sold on the idea, just think of this: Alice. In Wonderland. With chainsaws. And possibly flamethrowers._

_...Yes, there is something wrong with me. What are you gonna do about it?_

* * *

><p>Evan was not a morning person. Then again, maybe he shouldn't stay up past midnight. That could help.<p>

Evan groaned as he got out of bed and grabbed his rimless glasses. He then put on his usual outfit of belted jeans, old Van sneakers, and a black long-sleeved shirt under a green t-shirt with a silver dragon design on the front. He quickly put a comb through his loose brown hair and put a hair band in his pocket. And then he grabbed some paper and a pencil and went downstairs.

Evan's step sister wasn't up yet. Thank Erda; Nancy was even less of a morning person than Evan was, and she always got eight to nine hours of sleep. His stepmom Angela should be at work by now and Evan's dad Michelangelo wasn't supposed to be home for another week or so. That meant that for the time being he had the place to himself.

…Unless, of course, Sam or Carter called and interrupted his thinking. Evan honestly loved those girls to death, but sometimes he wanted them to leave him alone.

Evan stopped in the middle of the hallway and shook his head in disgust. No, he didn't want them to leave him alone, not even for a minute. The three of them had been through so much together. They shared each other's pain, each other's happiness, each other's anger. They were inseparable, no matter what life threw their way. To be apart from them would be like ripping Evan's soul apart. He was certain the girls felt the same way.

They were more than just friends. They depended on each other. To be torn apart was simply unthinkable.

Evan walked into the clean high-tech kitchen and grabbed a bagel. He put the papers on the table and slowly thought as he ate his breakfast. First he wondered how the others were holding up after Magister Ghilhil's orders. He, Sam, and Carter would still continue their recon on the High Breed threat, but there was no way Ben and Gwen would sit by and let other people do the work for them. They were similar that way.

Kevin was a wild card though. From what info the Slayer intelligence network gathered on him, Evan knew that Kevin got his powers from his real father, Devin Levin. He had died on a Plumber mission and left his son and wife behind. His mother remarried, but since there was no one to teach Kevin how to use his powers, he felt hated by his family and eventually ran away, leeching power and becoming more and more sociopathic before Ben apprehended him in New York.

Kevin would feel obligated to follow in his father's footsteps, but due to his criminal record he might not make the cut. And then attacking an officer (he'd been provoked, but the law won't see it that way) and getting his badge taken away really put the icing on the cake. Kevin would try to help, but he'd be too conflicted to be of much use. Evan would have to fix that.

Evan had been trained to be a great leader for most of his life. He had been taught to use every possible resource, be it friend or foe. He would no doubt find a loophole in Ghilhil's orders. Besides, the magister had no control over the Pride. If he had a problem, he would have to take it up with Cordelia, and there was no way he was going to do _that_. For the time being, the Pride had some leeway.

Evan finished his bagel and put pen to paper. He had some calculations to figure out.

* * *

><p>"Why do we always have to hang out at Mr. Smoothies?" Sam asked as she observed the inside of her cup. "If we frequent a spot too much it becomes a target for attacks."<p>

"Have you been playing my strategy videogames again?" Evan asked as he and Ben walked across the parking lot with the other orders. Evan's hair was back in its normal ponytail and he had put his contacts in again.

"No it's common sense."

Ben, noticing how the others were, handed them their drinks. "Cheer up; Mr. Smoothy makes everything better."

Kevin took one sip before spitting it out. "Yuck! How does turnip and wheatgrass sludge cheer anyone up?"

"I like it." Ben shrugged. "Besides, it's also got ginger in it."

"Yes, because it totally makes it taste better," Carter said sardonically.

"Yeah, and it solves all of our problems," Kevin said sarcastically, because Carter wasn't being bitchy enough.

"Seriously, Ben, Magister Ghilhil pretty much just put us out of business," Gwen said.

"Not necessarily," Sam pointed out. "We're technically not supposed to get directly involved in Plumber business, but we can still snoop around. We'll keep you posted."

"Yeah, but you can get in trouble."

"Never stopped us before," Evan said. "Haven't you heard? We don't listen to each other."

"Doesn't matter." Ben wedged himself in between Sam and Kevin on the car hood. "Because we're going to do what we've always been doing; find the aliens, beat the bad guy."

Kevin poured his drink onto the ground sullenly.

"He said he'd put us in the Null Void," Gwen pointed out.

"He also said Plumbers never come around here anymore," Ben noted. "I'd include the Slayers, but I don't think they'd care."

"Of course not," Sam agreed. "We care too much about our objective to bother."

"So we'll worry about when or if he ever shows up again."

"He took my badge!" Kevin suddenly growled. That got everyone's attention.

"Badges?" Ben said in his best cowboy voice. "We don't need no stinkin' badges!"

And then to the alarm of everyone, Kevin grabbed Ben by the collar and screamed, "You think this is a joke?!"

"Put him down, Kevin!" Evan ordered sharply. The other two had their hands on their left wrists.

Kevin threw Ben back onto the car. Ben bounced on his back and groaned in pain before snapping, "Dude!"

"I wanna be a Plumber, okay?" Kevin shamefully looked away from the others. He choked out, "When I was little, my mom used to tell me stories about my dad. How he was a Plumber and did all this cool stuff."

Sam put a hand on his shoulder. "And now you want to follow in his footsteps."

Kevin smiled bitterly. "Stupid, huh? I never met the guy but I want to be like him."

"Nothing about that is stupid," Carter said seriously.

"That's why you know so much about the Plumbers and alien technology and everything," Gwen realized.

"It's why I agreed to help you guys in the first place," Kevin admitted. Sam bristled inwardly at that. She was almost certain that the real reason was because Gwen was there. And then after he and Sam started dating he must have found a different purpose. She honestly didn't expect this.

Kevin shook Sam off and climbed into his car. Before closing the door he said, "I need my badge, Ben. It's the only thing that matters." He slammed the car door shut and started up the engine. Ben quickly jumped off the hood of the car just as Kevin jerked out of his parking spot and drove away.

* * *

><p>The High Breed headquarters was a dark place full of egg-shaped blue computers and alien pods. DNAliens were bustling about doing their jobs. The entire place had an underground feeling to it.<p>

And then a DNAlien heard footsteps coming from one of the underground passages. He alerted the guy next to him and both saw a figure walk into the cavernous room. He was cloaked in black with a black caplet on his shoulders, and a silver skull-like mask covered his face.

The DNAliens herded together and one of them ordered an attack. Four of them spit out green slime at the intruder. Said intruder used black energy to disintegrate three of the blasts. He simply dodged the fourth.

He then used his power to swipe the DNAliens off their feet. They landed painfully on the ground, suddenly too weak to stand and fight. Skull Face strolled past them, his pace quick.

Skull Face ripped the round door off its hinges and used some more energy attacks on the bodyguards. They tried to shoot at him only to get hit by that black stuff. Like their brethren, they couldn't stand up.

Skull Face barged into the blue High Breed command center and walked up to the giant beast.

"Who are you?" the High Breed roared. "What insignificant alien speck dares to enter the command center of a High Breed lord?"

Skull Face stopped in front of the alien. "It doesn't matter," the High Breed continued. "Dead men don't need names." He then bitch slapped Skull Face into the wall. Smoke puffed out of the wreckage, but Skull Face wasn't done yet. He lifted a column of rock over his head.

"Nice shot," he said. "You're just as strong as I heard." The High Breed hissed and revealed orange wing-like skin flaps attached to his arms. Skull Face threw the column at the alien and watched as it pinned him down.

The High Breed threw off the debris and prepared his counterattack when Skull Face said, "That's it. Show me all of your power." Showing off a glowing hand of dark energy, he shot an energy beam at the alien and began to absorb some of its power. The High Breed screamed in agony and black electricity encircled him like a cage.

"Give me your strength." The torture only stopped when the High Breed was lying on the ground.

"What do you want from me?" the High Breed asked his voice tiny.

"I want to make a deal."

* * *

><p><strong>That same night<strong>

Sam found Kevin in some auto shop garage, working on his car. It was nice to see that some things never change.

Kevin must had heard her walk up, because he said, "Who's out there?" and got out from under his car.

"Me with a peace offering." Sam held out the blue beverage container. Kevin looked at it suspiciously. "It's just soda. Honest."

He still looked at it like it was poison. Sam rolled her eyes and took a sip. "See? It's safe." She knelt down and offered it to Kevin, who took it. As he began gulping it down, she asked, "Are you doing okay?"

"Fine," he snapped, totally not okay. His gaze softened. "Listen, I don't want to talk about my dad."

"I didn't want to talk about that," Sam said.

"Then why are you here?"

"To see how you were doing and give a little present." Sam held out a small brown bag and tossed it to Kevin. He opened it and picked out of wooden bearing.

"I know Osmosians need a lot of a substance to absorb if they ever get in a fight, but I figured something small might help in a jam," Sam explained. "I figured less is more in this case."

Kevin absorbed some of the wood so that only his hand was covered in the armor. "Thank you, that's really thoughtful of you. But what exactly makes you think I'm still helping you guys anyway?"

"Because I know what you're going through." Sam held onto Kevin's hand and watched as his wooden armor slid off him. "I know what it's like to be judged for something you did in the past. It completely goes against Slayer code to give others a second chance, but you of all people need that right now."

"But why are you still helping?" Kevin asked, curious. "The magister treated you and the Pride like dirt. Why are you still helpin' the Plumbers?"

"A soldier finishes the orders his superior gave him no matter what," Sam said matter-of-factly, gaze hard as steel. Her eyes then softened. "Besides, I want to fix the rift between the Slayers and the Plumbers. I think we could learn something from each other, but the only way to do that is to put our differences aside. It's hard, but it'll be worth it in the end."

Kevin gripped her hand tightly. "That's awesome."

"But the only way to do that is if you help," Sam said sternly. Kevin averted his eyes.

"I'm on parole. The magister can put me back in that Null Void at any time."

"We'll figure it out," Sam declared. "Evan's already got a plan. All we have to do is wait."

"You're totally confident this is going to work."

"You need me to be." Sam swooped in and kissed Kevin right on the lips. He widened his eyes in surprise and then fell into it. Electricity was buzzing in him like energy absorption, and he loved it. He didn't like it when Sam finally stopped it. But he was happy to see her blush and smile like that.

_**Aw, young love! **_Kirche teased in Sam's head. And then she said, _**Head's up!**_

A crashing sound rang through the garage. A giant hole was now in the wall, and through it was an actual High Breed.

"HUMAN SCUM!" it roared. "I WILL CLEANSE THE WORLD OF YOUR FILTH!"

Sam got out her broadswords while Kevin absorbed the metal of his car. "Looks like I picked a bad day to quit fightin' monsters."

"They're too strong for just two of us to fight," Sam said. "We have to call for backup."

"You do that while I take care of ugly." Kevin slid on the ground and absorbed the ground before roundhouse kicking the High Breed in the head. Sam got out her phone and sent a preprogrammed emergency signal to Carter and Evan. Hopefully they would get here in time.

The High Breed then punched Kevin away. He rolled around and around in the air before painfully landing on his beloved car. Sam ran up to the alien and took two slices at its arm, making it back away. She then roundhouse kicked it in the gut before back flipping away. Before the High Breed could retaliate, she tried to lodge her broadswords into its stomach, hoping it would kill it.

The High Breed, fed up that this infernal insect was trying to kill it, slammed its palms and trapped the swords between them. Sam heated up her swords so the monster had to let go. With a hiss of pain it slapped her away, sending her crashing to the ground. Her broadswords were sent skittering away from her, useless.

The High Breed loomed over her. Sam willed her shield and stood on one knee just as the alien started to punch her. The force of the attack sent her sliding somewhat across the floor. She then whipped up a wall of fire and the High Breed hesitated.

"That won't save you now," it said before punching through the flames. With a guttural noise, Sam braced for the next attack.

…Only to have Kevin act as a human shield. He slid out in front of her just as the fist hit the shield. The force of the blast was worse than usual; the shield made from powerful Slayer metal flattened into a pancake, and Kevin's armor crumbled as he fell into unconsciousness. Sam quickly set him aside before turning her sights back on the High Breed.

With a ferocious animal growl, Sam's hair set itself on fire and her eyes glowed red. But before she could launch herself at the monster, an orange, scaly hand wrapped itself around the High Breed's fist.

Ben Tennyson had come at last.

"Hey, ugly!" Humungousaur called out. "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?" He threw the High Breed through the roof just as Carter and Evan lifted Kevin off the ground. As Humungousaur walked out of the garage to finish off the monster, Evan and Carter got Kevin outside so Carter could fix him.

The High Breed had landed thirty feet away from the auto shop, creating a huge crater when it landed. When it finally woke up, it held its head in its hands and saw Humungousaur, Kevin, Gwen, and the Pride standing over him.

"I wouldn't if I were you," Humungousaur warned. The High Breed growled something, but it was lost in translation. And then a white transporter beam appeared beside the crater. Magister Ghilhil had arrived.

"Didn't take you kids long to get yourselves into trouble again, did it?" were the Magister's first words.

"Us?" Humungousaur said indignantly. "We were just-"

"Attacking me for no reason!" the High Breed said.

"Bullshit!" Sam cried out.

"He's one of the aliens we told you about," Humungousaur explained. "He's attacking the Earth!"

"Sure, kid, how about some proof?" Magister Ghilhil crossed his arms and glared at them.

"We have proof; you just won't look at it!" Carter snarled despite looking gray in the face. Ghilhil ignored her as the High Breed pointed an accusing finger at them.

"They attacked me for no reason! They said they were Plumbers!"

Ghilhil patted him reassuringly on the back. "I've heard enough. You six are under arrest. And you-" he glared at the High Breed- "I don't know what's going on with you, but I'm gonna find out. You're coming with me for questioning."

"I beg to differ," a voice said from the side. It was Skull Face, standing like he had all the time in the world.

"Nobody's going anywhere. Not until I make your powers my own." He revealed two hands glowing with black energy, not unlike Gwen's powers. He shot lasers at the group, enveloping them in a dark cloud of electricity. Only Gwen was able to whip up a mana shield to protect herself from the absorption.

The High Breed struggled into a sitting position and looked at Skull Face. "You promised me that if I helped you…" His voice was cut off by his own groaning as he slumped weakly to the ground.

"I can't be trusted," Skull Face said almost jovially.

The Pride's eyes began to glow, standing out from the blackness. Their teeth sharpened into needle points, and they let out animalistic growls as they launched themselves at Skull Face. Skull Face doubled the strength of his energy absorption and the three of them fell to the ground at his feet, writhing in pain.

Sam, who was exhausted from the High Breed attack, was the first to go unconscious. With their last remaining strength Carter and Evan wrapped their arms around her and each other before blacking out.

"Aw, what a touching moment," Skull Face said condescendingly. "Why don't the rest of you join them?" He upped the ante of his powers, and everyone but Humungousaur fell to the ground, unconscious.

Humungousaur tried to grow bigger to fend off the attack, and he struggled to get near Skull Face. "I almost forgot how strong you are, Ben," Skull Face noted. His absorption escalated exponentially, and Humungousaur was forced to drop on his knees. And then he reverted back to Ben, who was kneeling in front of Skull Face in a bow.

"How do you know my name?" Ben asked as tried to keep his eyes open. And then he realized just who he was dealing with. "GWEN, RUN!"

Gwen, who was still averting the attacks with her mana shield, looked at her cousin like he was crazy. "_What_?"

"You've got to get away! You're our only hope!" With that final statement, he slumped to the ground.

Gwen fused her shield into a giant ball and flung it at Skull Face. The energy ball exploded in front of him, creating a smoke screen that sent him into a blind coughing fit. Gwen used that moment to run as far as she could away from the creep, all the way to the guard wall. She used her powers to launch herself like a rocket over the wall and wrapped a pink shield around her to protect her from the landing.

"You can't run forever, lovely Gwen," Skull Face called out. "I'll have my revenge on you, too."

* * *

><p><strong>At the hydroelectric dam outside Bellwood<strong>

"Never thought I'd be back here," Sam mused. She and the other captured souls were chained up and floating in some sort whitish-blue prison cell-clearly alien technology.

"I don't understand what's going on," Ghilhil admitted. "That's the guy who tipped me off that you guys were impersonating Plumbers."

"Yeah, and he scammed big ugly too," Kevin joked meanly. The High Breed snarled at him. "Hey, don't snarl at me."

"Well this bites," Evan said with a great sigh. "I thought for sure it was a High Breed, or at least a DNAlien."

"Wait, you knew?" Kevin asked incredulously.

Evan shrugged despite the chains. "I didn't know for sure. While I was going over some calculations Carter pointed out that the magister had been getting reports on us for months, but he didn't do anything about it until now. I figured someone tipped him off so we'd stop. It's not really their style, but I thought for sure it was a High Breed. No offense."

"Offense taken, you insignificant worm!"

"Wait, you two were scheming without me?" Sam cried out in shock. "You suck!"

"We're being chained up by some madman. Is this really the time for that?" Carter pointed out.

"I'm hurt," Skull Face purred as he exited from the shadows. "I expected better from a Valentine."

"You clearly don't know Cordelia," Carter said.

"Forget that! I know who he is!" Ben interjected angrily. He was not in the mood for idle chitchat.

"Do you really?" Skull Face inquired.

"You had to be somebody who knows all about the Plumbers and the High Breed," Ben explained, more calm now. "But most importantly, you had to be somebody who has a grudge against us. Why don't you take off the dopey mask, Michael?"

"Wait, _that's_ Michael Morningstar?" Kevin stared at him. "The creep who sucked the life out of those girls at his prep school and Gwen?"

"Why didn't we finish you off when we had the chance?" Sam groaned to herself. Carter and Evan silently agreed with her.

"When you ruined my plan, you nearly destroyed me," Michael explained. "But over the weeks, my powers returned, stronger than ever. And so did my hunger. My old method of feeding is no longer sufficient."

"High school girls to tough for you, huh?" Ben said.

"To the contrary," Michael said. "I need more power than they can supply. Michael Morningstar no longer exists." He pulled off his mask and let it drop to the floor. "Now, I am Dark Star."

"OH GOD IT'S HIDEOUS!" Evan screeched at the top of his lungs. Everyone shared their sentiments with gasps of their own. No longer was there a handsome blonde Michael. Instead there was the gray skinned, dark eyed monstrosity with tufts of pale hair attached to his scalp.

"You did this to me. And now you will pay!" Dark Star sent out black energy to the captives, sucking the strength they regained out of them. They all cried out in pain-except for the Pride, who howled ferociously as their teeth sharpened once again.

"I will take your strength and make it my own until you have no more to give!" Michael said triumphantly. He could feel the delicious energy swirling within him, feeding him.

"If you can reach your Omnitrix, maybe Alien X…" Kevin whispered to Ben.

"No. If he absorbed all of that power, nothing could stop him!"

_**Ben, you need to get out of there, **_Ventus warned from inside Ben's head. _**The others and I have been able to fend off Morning- I mean, Dark Star's feelers for now, but we can't hold out much longer. If he continues, he can get our powers as well, and then he'd really be unstoppable. **_

"Eventually, I'll have it all anyway," Michael said. It was like he could hear the voice in Ben's head.

"Michael!" Gwen called out. Michael stopped his feeding long enough to see the redhead standing in the middle of the dam, looking pretty miffed.

She took one look at Dark Star and said, "Ew! I swear you were better looking when we used to go out."

"Laugh while you can," Dark Star told her. "I've got all the power of your teammates, plus the High Breed and the Plumber. How can you possibly hope to defeat me alone?"

"Who said anything about alone?"

With that statement, DNAliens crashed through the windows of the dam, making glass rain down. They swarmed through the dam, dozens of them milling around Gwen, ready to attack.

"They're pretty mad about you kidnapping their boss," Gwen said as two of the DNAliens walked past her. More were behind her, showing off the army she had gathered.

At once, they attacked. The first wave fell instantly to a minor absorption attack. The second wave got next to Dark Star, but then he grabbed hold of them and sucked out their energy like a vampire. As he busied himself with feeding, Gwen ran up to the tractor-beam prison and used her mana to destroy it. The top of the cell fell apart, and the whitish-blue glow of the walls fell apart. The captives fell to the ground in a heap.

Kevin absorbed the metal of the chains and broke free of his restraints. Then he broke off Tennyson's and the Plumber's. He was about to do the same with the Pride only to see them use their super strength to break free.

"Since when were you super strong?" Kevin asked as he helped Sam up.

"Since we got our powers," she said simply. She turned to the other two. "Ready to kick butt?"

"You seriously have to ask?" Evan said with a smirk.

"What about me?" inquired the forgotten High Breed.

Ben smiled and said, "Hang in there."

While they were busy, Dark Star was starting to tire of feeding off the DNAliens. "Too many to absorb," he panted as he flung two shriveled corpses away from him.

"And the bad news keeps on coming." Gwen slammed an energy disk at him, sending him back skidding across the floor. Fire was thrown at him, which he unfortunately absorbed. Vines were suddenly snaking around him, catching him in midflight. Icicles flew at him; he used his powers to deflect him.

A ray of green light, and Echo Echo screamed at him. Ghilhil shot a red laser at the sound waves, sending Dark Star high into the air. Spidermonkey kicked him to Kevin, who falcon punched the creep back at Spidermonkey, who turned into Jetray. With a powerful laser from his eyes, the bad guy was sent crashing to the ground.

And then Jetray turned into Humungousaur, who fell right on top of Dark Star. He never stood a chance.

The impact created a crater in the ground, and the sound waves destroyed all of the remaining windows. Smoke and debris billowed out of the building.

Gwen had whipped up a shield over everyone except Ben. When the smoke cleared, they saw that the High Breed was gone. The DNAliens had taken their boss while the others had dealt with Dark Star.

Humungousaur quickly turned back into Ben, who had his hands on his knees. "Never knew you could fight like that," Carter said appraisingly.

"Well, when you have the right incentive…" Ben fell to the ground in a half-conscious. Gwen quickly gathered him in her arms as Carter calmly put a glowing hand to his forehead.

"Is he okay?" The magister said worriedly.

"Everything…spinning…going dim…need….smoothie…."

"He'll be fine," Gwen said as Ben closed his eyes.

* * *

><p>Outside the dam, Morningstar was finally in handcuffs, stuck in a glowing prison with the magister right next to him. It was a good day.<p>

"You sure that rig will hold 'im?" Kevin asked suspiciously.

"Its level six technology, son," Ghilhil said. "He isn't going anywhere but the Null Void."

"What about us?" Ben asked. Thanks to Carter he was more than fine.

"I've been giving that some thought," the magister revealed. "You guys made a difference today."

"And…" Ben wanted him to continue.

"Maybe I don't need to reassign good men to this quadrant." He smiled. "Maybe they're already here."

"What's that mean?" Kevin inquired.

Ghilhil gave him his badge back. "You've been drafted." He gave Gwen one too. Ben smiled and held out his hand. "Don't push it kid. You've already got the Omnitrix."

He then turned to the Pride, his gaze no longer judgmental. "As for your proof, I'll look into it thoroughly."

"And we'll stick to our orders," Carter said with a smile. Ghilhil gave them a small smile back before turning to Ben's team.

"As of now, you're the only law in the quadrant. Do a good job." With that, the magister teleported out of there with Dark Star in tow.

Kevin took another look at his badge before walking away. "Hey, where you going?" Ben called after him.

Kevin showed off the badge. "I gotta tell my mom."

* * *

><p><em>Like I said, I won't write the Alice in Wonderland spoof for a long time. I just want your input on it until then. If you say it's stupid, I won't do it. But if a lot of you say you want to read it despite the odd one out, I'll write it for the majority. And if no one says anything at all, I'll write it anyway.<em>


	32. That 70's Reference

Chapter 32: That 70's Reference

_I just found out what lime is. Is it strange that I knew about lemon before I knew about lime?_

_Anyway, there's a hint of lime in this chapter. Nothing too bad, and it ends rather comically. Also, the chapter talks about meeting parents. I hope I made it awkward enough._

* * *

><p>Sam really didn't want to buy a new shield.<p>

After the High Breed flattened it into a pancake, Sam had to go into the underground city's armory and buy a new one. She hated going down there alone. It wasn't that people bothered her. It was just when people accidentally made eye contact with her they quickly averted their gaze and hurried away. It never happened when she was with Carter or Evan, but alone was a different matter. It was like she had some sort of mark on her face that made people shy away from her. Yes, she was the vessel of the war goddess, but it didn't mean they had to always be afraid of her.

…After thinking about it some, Sam decided that they _should_ probably be afraid of her. It still hurt when people wouldn't look at her though.

After coming home with a new shield charm on her bracelet, Sam made her way to the computer. Charlie was somewhere doing God knows what with his afternoon, and she had scheduled a Skype meeting with her parents' right about now. Alone in her room, she quickly booted up the computer as she wondered what her parents wanted to talk about. A few minutes later, Sam was online talking with her parents.

Sam had obviously gotten her looks from her mother; Irene was well-endowed with her wavy brown hair in a professional bun. Her full red lips were smiling, and her sparkling green eyes matched her business suit perfectly. Her husband Alexander had the DuBaer flaming red hair and copper brown eyes flecked with green. His beard was trimmed professionally and he looked like a twig. You couldn't see the muscles under his white dress shirt and black slacks.

"Hi mom, hi dad," Sam said brightly.

"Hi, sweetie!" her mother said cheerfully.

"How're things over there?" her father asked.

"Is Charlie giving you trouble?" Irene studied her a minute. "How are Carter and Evan?"

"Charlie's great, and they're fine. More than fine," Sam added quickly. Wanting to get right to business, she asked, "So what did you want to talk about?"

Alexander sighed heavily. "I know you're not going to like this…"

Sam groaned audibly and leaned back in her chair. "You set me up on another date." It wasn't a question. It never was.

"I know you don't like it, but we have to be on friendly terms with some other companies," her mother said gently. "With the DuBaers negative reputation being what is it, it's important we set up friendships with these people. And that includes you."

"Dating the sons of these people; mom, I hate them!"

"Oh, come on, they're not all bad," her father scoffed. "What about the Davenport boy? He's a good kid."

"He's a hypocrite."

"What about the Ishiyama boy? Hiroki's a good guy," Irene said.

"I don't date boys two years younger than me." Sam sighed. "I have to tell you something."

As usual they ignored her. "Well, what about-" Alexander began only to have Sam cut him off.

"I have a boyfriend."

This was met by complete silence. Sam silently wished she could take it back. Yes, she and Kevin had gone out a few times-they kissed just last night! - but they had never talked about their relationship. Sam was pretty sure they were official, but they had never bothered to clarify it.

Irene was the first to break the silence. "Oh, that's wonderful, sweetie! Is it someone we know?"

"Oh, no, it's no one you know," Sam said. Her father was staring at her, making her feel awkward.

"Is it someone from school?" Irene asked cheerfully, oblivious to her husband.

"A friend introduced me to him," Sam said evasively.

"Which friend?" Irene's smile faltered. "Did Cordelia…"

"And Isaac," Sam confirmed. Then she added hastily, "But the relationship has nothing to do with the mission! We just met because of it."

Irene sighed. "Well, does this mystery boy have a name?"

"Kevin."

"Kevin." Irene mulled it over. "I don't know anyone with that name."

"He's middle class."

"Oh." She blinked. "Does he know about…" she waved a hand between her and her frozen husband.

"Yeah, he knows I'm rich, but he doesn't care about that," Sam answered. Truthfully she didn't know, but it was another thing they didn't discuss. She would have to fix that.

Alexander decided to unfreeze himself. "Are my shotguns still where I left them?"

"Dad!" Sam cried out in horror as her mother yelled, "Alex!"

He held up his hands. "I'm an overprotective father, what'd you expect?"

"For you to not shoot first and ask questions later," Irene told him sternly. Alex looked chastised, and she beamed back at Sam.

"When can we meet him?"

"I'll talk to him about it and set up a date," Sam said. "You know how boys don't like to meet the parents."

Alex nodded his head begrudgingly. "Smart boy."

"If you shoot him I'll never talk to you again."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Ugh, fine. But if he does anything funny…" he mimed a gun with his finger and made a 'pop' sound. Irene swatted his hand away.

"Don't worry, I'll hide the keys to the gun cabinet," Irene assured Sam. "Send Charlie our love."

"Okay, bye guys, love you." Sam disconnected on their goodbyes and sat back in her chair, exhausted. How in the hell was she going to tell Kevin?

* * *

><p><strong>In Evan's Basement<strong>

Band practice was supposed to start. Carter was sitting on the stage, her legs dangling over the edge, writing lyrics in a school notebook, and Sam and Ben were sitting in decrepit wooden chairs across the room from each other, bouncing a red rubber ball at each other and letting it bounce on the floor once before catching it. All of the instruments were tuned and waiting.

For some reason, even though it was his house, Evan was not there.

Ben had noticed that Sam was distracted. She was still catching the ball easily, but she had a distant look in her eyes. Knowing that she wasn't going to say anything outright, Ben asked:

"Is everything okay, Sam?"

Sam caught the red ball and stared at him. Carter stopped her pencil scratching and looked up with an anxious look on her face. Ben waited for a response.

"Everything's fine, it's just…"

"You're parents set you up on another date?" Carter said blithely, since they've been doing it for years. She and Evan went through the same thing, so she knew the signs of anger and resignation the dilemma brought.

"Your parents force you to date?" Ben asked, incredibly confused. Wouldn't parents normally stop their kids from going out?

Sam nodded slightly. "For the three of us, our families set us up with the kids of important people so they rub shoulders with each other. It's so annoying."

"You did it, too?" Ben asked Carter hesitantly. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

She shrugged. "I had to. On the plus side, our parents often didn't push us to date people we hated. And some of them were right bastards, too." Ben gave a relieved sigh. Carter smirked.

"Though admittedly some of them weren't so bad," Sam admitted. "Hiroki Ishiyama was okay."

"He's two years younger than us," Carter pointed out.

"He's still an okay guy. And Evan thought his older sister was cool." Sam bounced the ball back to Ben. "But that's not the problem."

"Then what is?" Ben said as he caught the ball.

"I…kinda mentioned I had a boyfriend."

Carter groaned audibly. "Let me guess; they want to meet Kevin."

"So let them meet each other," Ben said slowly. He was puzzled over Carter's reaction.

"Don't you get it?" she snapped. "Kevin's a middle class ex-con. Sam's filthy stinking rich."

Ben thought about it for a minute before getting it. "_Oh_."

"That's one of the reasons why it's bad," Sam said quietly, her eyes downcast.

"What's the other reason?" Ben asked curiously.

"I…don't know if we're officially a couple."

Carter blanched. "Didn't you two kiss already?"

"Yeah, but we never actually talked about it," Sam explained. "I mean, it happened just last night."

Ben jerked his head towards her. "Last night? At the garage?"

"Just before the High Breed attacked."

Carter face palmed. "No wonder you didn't talk; we had other things to worry about."

"Yeah, and now there's my parents and we have to talk and I have no idea how I'm going to bring it up." Sam ran her fingers through her hair and tried to stop the look of utter panic from spreading across her face.

"So, you talk," Ben said densely. "You're going to have to do it sometime." Sam and Carter glared at him. "What?"

"You suck at giving advice," Carter told him tersely.

"Oh, you're _so_ supportive," Ben snapped back sarcastically.

Sam heaved a defeated sigh. "You're right, though. I'll talk to him after practice." Her brow furrowed. "Where's Evan? He can't be late, it's his house."

"Maybe one of us should check on him," Carter suggested. Sam stood up and stretched.

"I'll get him. I need to think anyway." She walked towards the door.

"Have fun!" Ben called out insensitively.

"I won't!" she said as she slammed the door shut.

Carter glared at him. "Idiot."

Ben frowned. "How am I an idiot?"

"She just said she needed to think about how she's going to talk to Kevin. Of course she won't have fun."

It took a bit for that to sink in. "Shit, I _am _an idiot."

Carter allowed a small smile. "Yeah, but you're my idiot." She put her notebook aside and walked towards Ben. Without warning she grabbed him by the collar and put her lips to his.

This kiss was different from the first. The first had electricity buzzing through Ben; now all the blood was rushing to his head, making him lightheaded. He put his arms around Carter, feeling like he was melting.

Carter pushed Ben back into the chair, never breaking contact. He was leaning back as far as the chair would let him. She put her knee in the small space between his thighs, always pushing him back hungrily.

…Until the chair tipped over backwards, spilling the two of them onto the floor. The kiss broke when Ben hit the back of his head on the linoleum floor. For a second dark spots swam in his vision until only a single gray moon stared back at him; it took him a moment to realize it was Carter on top of him.

Carter, who was trapping him underneath her.

_Who was on top of him._

Ben opened his mouth to speak, only to have a funny sound come out. It sounded like, "Um-duh."

Carter snorted, her eyes closing momentarily, her nose scrunching up slightly. "You're hilarious, Foreman."

"Where'd you learn to kiss like _that_?"

"Oh, so it was that good?"

"Are you kidding? That was amazing!"

"So you want another."

Ben put a hand behind her head and tilted it so his mouth could reach hers. They were about to make contact-

Evan and Sam burst through the door. "Tell your damn sister to mind her own business!"

"Bitch, you tell her!" Evan stopped his outburst when he saw the position Carter and Ben were in. "We are totally interrupting something."

"Ya think?" Carter hissed as Ben went brick red. "We were just getting to the best part!"

"Next time we won't come in," Sam said apologetically.

"Thank you!" Carter said as she helped Ben up. He was shaky in the legs and had to hang onto his girlfriend to stand.

Evan wolf whistled. "She's that good, huh?"

"Bitch, I'm flawless!" Carter said with mock arrogance.

"So when are you going to meet Ben's parents?" Evan asked slyly. It was obvious that Sam had told him her problem.

Carter and Ben stopped short. They eyed each other carefully before Ben said, "Soon."

"Yeah. Soon," Carter agreed.

"Like after band practice soon?" Sam was smirking _so_ hard right now.

"The sooner the better," Carter said robotically. It was all Ben could do to not freak out.

_**You better make a good impression on his parents, **_Aquaria advised gently from inside Carter's head. _**It would put shame on the Valentine name if you couldn't date the vessel of Ventus.**_

_I don't care that he's the vessel for Ventus. I'm dating him because I want to,_ Carter thought sternly. _…You do have a point though._

"So what are we playing today?" Ben asked as he detached himself from Carter. He tried to give the air of indifference, but the pink tingeing his face ruined it.

"We could play some of Carter's songs," Sam said. "We still need to work on that love song."

"That shouldn't be a problem now, don't you think?" Evan wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at the two of them.

Carter rolled her eyes. "Sam?"

Sam stepped back a ways, grabbed the drumsticks out of her boots, and threw them at Evan.

"OW!"

* * *

><p>"You sure about this?" Ben asked Carter. It was a few hours later with band practice over for the day. Evan and Sam had already left the basement-Sam most likely to work on what she would say to Kevin, and who knew about Evan - and Carter and Ben were alone. The mood was tense.<p>

"No, I'm not, but Evan has a point," Carter said. "I have to meet your parents. Why not now?"

"Because you're not ready to meet them," Ben pointed out. "I mean, look at you."

She didn't have to. Her arms were crossed tightly around her, her back stock still. She was biting her pale bottom lip hard, and the worried look wouldn't leave her face.

It took some effort to unclench her teeth. "I know I'm a wreck, but I want to get this over with. Do you have everything?"

Ben slung his guitar case over her shoulder. "Lead the way through subspace."

Carter got the card out and swiped the air with it. The green door with the angel wing on the right and the devil wing on the left graphic appeared, and Carter turned the knob. She grabbed Ben's hand and led him through the darkness with the door disappearing behind them.

They were standing on a bright, lime green highway with darkness surrounding them. The highway was split into thousands of roads, stretching out into oblivion. The air was warm, and the only light came from under their feet, giving them an unearthly glow. Carter had once told him that flying was impossible in between spaces, so they would have to walk to their destination. It would be a lot slower, but then they could hold hands while walking.

"How come you don't always use subspace?" Ben asked Carter about ten minutes later. He was trying to ignore the tense air around them.

"Who says I don't?" she asked back. She softened a little. "I use it to bring Sam, Evan, and me to school, but I don't use it for missions. I don't always know the roads, and I want James to keep his job."

"How thoughtful of you," Ben noted.

She shrugged weakly. "I guess. Here's our stop."

"Already?" He looked up at the white door in front of them. It was pretty normal looking; no angel-and-devil-wing design, no disappearing act, no nothing. It was just Ben's front door.

"Yeah, already," Carter said. "I used a shortcut." She tightened the grip on Ben's hand, making it slowly lose feeling. He squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"They're going to love you," he declared.

"Or at least barely tolerate me," Carter said stonily. "That's what I'm aiming for."

Ben shook his head. There was no reasoning with her when she was like this. He grabbed the door knob and turned, leading into his house.

The interior was normal: beige carpeting, white walls, a living room with a sofa and an armchair, a wooden staircase leading to the second floor. The sounds in the clean white kitchen indicated that someone was in there.

Ben turned back to Carter, who was looking gray in the face. "You ready?"

"I think I'm gonna be sick."

"…I'll take that as a yes." He pulled her to the kitchen where his mother was washing dishes and listening to Mozart on her iPod. She was totally in the zone, unprepared for any interruptions.

Carter quickly let go of Ben's hand even though she didn't want to. He looked at her questioningly. "I think it'd be better if we didn't act like a couple," she explained in a whisper. "I want make to make it easier on her."

"Good idea," Ben said, because it really was. He turned back to his mother just in time for her to notice them. She dried her hands and took out her ear buds.

"Ben, I didn't know you were here. Who's your little friend?"

"This is Carter, my…my girlfriend," Ben introduced awkwardly. He stood to the side as Sandra took her in, from her grayish face to her tiny skirt to her combat boots. Sandra wasn't technically a strict parent-she was fairly New Age, after all- but she obviously had standards for her son's taste in girls.

"How do you do, Carter?" Sandra said coolly, offering a damp hand. Carter shook it, hoping her grip wasn't lax.

"I'm fine, ma'am."

"Is Carter short for something?" she asked as she broke contact.

"No, it's my actual name," Carter answered, beginning to babble. "My grandmother named me. Said she hated the name my mother picked out for me."

"Really?" Ben had never heard this before. "What was it?"

"Candy." She shuddered comically. "Do I look like a Candy to you?"

Ben gave a bark of laughter while his mother gave a little smile. "No you do not," she said. "Carter suits you."

Carter smiled. "Thank you."

Sandra turned to Ben. "Put your guitar upstairs while Carter and I have a chat."

Ben turned to Carter, who was no longer gray in the face. She gave a slight grimace, but nodded her head towards the stairs. "I'll be right back," he told them before leaving the kitchen.

Left alone, Sandra asked, "So how long have you been dating my son?"

Carter had to think about that one. "A few months, I think."

"He mentioned you," she revealed. "Not very often, and he never said your name, but he said he had to hang out with a few friends."

Was that the excuse Ben used to get out of the house for alien attacks? "He probably meant me and a group of friends," Carter said. "We almost always go on group dates. It's a lot less awkward than by ourselves."

Sandra liked this; group dates meant more chances to talk and few chances to fool around. They probably still did-she could barely imagine her baby boy growing up- but the chances were smaller in a group. She was happy the kids were acting responsible.

"So how did you two meet?" Sandra asked pleasantly.

"At a soccer game. Ben got a medal and I went over to congratulate him."

"Did you watch him play?"

"I did. He was good."

"Who was good at what?" Ben asked as he returned to the kitchen. He looked at the two of them, his face a mixture of worry and expectancy.

"I was telling your mother about you winning a medal," Carter said honestly.

"Oh, that?" Ben scratched the back of his head nervously. "I forgot about that."

"Liar."

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

Sandra began to laugh, forcing them to stop their childish bickering. When she stopped, she was beaming. "Carter should come over more often."

"R-really?" Ben couldn't believe it. He looked at Carter. She couldn't believe it either.

Sandra shrugged. "Sure; she makes you act like a child. I feel much younger now."

"I really like your mom," Carter said happily as Ben blushed.

The front door opened then, and Carl Tennyson called out, "I'm home!"

"We're in the kitchen!" Sandra called back. "You have to meet Ben's girlfriend."

"Ah, the mystery woman finally reveals herself," he said as he bustled into the room. He stopped short when he saw Carter, then he whistled softly. "Where'd you find her?" he asked Ben.

"Hey, she came to me," Ben said, smiling wolfishly.

"It's true," Carter attested. "I went to congratulate him on his shiny new medal."

"You mean the one hanging on the wall?" Carl asked densely. Ben made an angry choking sound and he glared at his dad. He stared back dumbly. "What?"

"I knew you never forgot," Carter said with a snicker. "You liar."

"_I am not!_"

Carl patted Ben on the shoulder. "Keep trying to convince her, it'll eventually work. So, do you have a name?" he asked the Goth.

"Carter."

"Carter…" He studied the name. "I don't know many girls with that name."

"Yeah, well, my grandparents wanted me to be unique," Carter said casually. "Besides, it was better than the alternative."

"Which was…?"

"Candy."

"You don't look like a Candy."

"Thank you!"

"Is anyone home?" Gwen's voice called out from the front.

"Join the party!" Carter called back. She was jubilant, just beaming at everyone. She had expected Ben's parents to hate her instantly-his mother seemed like that-but after they all thawed out, they were warm and inviting. They probably didn't love her like Ben initially thought, but they seemed to like her, at least enough for her to continue dating their son.

Gwen walked in and immediately assessed the situation. "Hey, Carter, what's up?"

"Just introducing her to the parents." Ben's brief explanation was all she needed.

"That must be awkward."

"It was at first, but mainly for Ben," Carter pointed out. Ben glowered at her, and she looked innocently back. Gwen gave a slight chuckle.

"Must be nice, knowing that you can date Ben long term now." The statement was innocent enough, but Carter's smile faltered a bit, her eyes widening in surprise. And then she showed a toothy grin and said:

"Yeah, it's great. Can I talk to you? Girl stuff," she explained to the rest.

Ben gave a wave. "Have fun!"

"We will!" Carter and Gwen walked out of the room, the redhead shooting concerned glances at her friend as they disappeared upstairs.

Once they were out of earshot, Carl said, "I like your girlfriend. She's got a sense of humor."

"Yeah, when she's not being sarcastic."

"But you should still bring her more often," Sandra said. "Why haven't you before?"

"It never really came up," Ben said awkwardly. "We just kind of decided today."

"Yes, well, she's certainly makes the place more lively," she said, smiling softly. She liked the way Ben was acting, shy and yet childish. It seemed Carter brought out a different side in her son that she hadn't seen in a long time.

Sandra's eyes flickered to the stairs, and she briefly wondered what she and Gwen were talking about.

* * *

><p>"You've never dated anyone for more than a few weeks?" Gwen asked incredulously. "<em>Ever?<em>" For some reason, they were in Ben's messy room. It was probably the most private place in the house.

Carter shook her head. "I've either gone out with guys my grandparents set me up with-and they only lasted for one date- or they were a Slayer guy who I only used to play around with." When gave her a particular look, she added, "No worries, I'm still a virgin. No way am I getting pregnant in high school."

"That's good to know. But what I'm really curious about is you're grandparents setting you up on dates." Gwen raised an eyebrow. She could expect Cordelia to do that, but Isaac? He didn't seem the type. Then again, looks could be deceiving.

"They wanted to rub elbows with potential business partners, so they used me, Sam, and Evan as pawns," Carter explained dismissively. "But that's not the point. I've never gone out with a guy for more than a month. How am I supposed to date Ben for a long time if I don't know how?"

This was a first, Carter asking Gwen for advice. The Goth never really talked to her outside of alien missions, and even then it wasn't actually conversational. The first time they really had a friendly talk was after she had found out about Ventus. Carter shouldn't have to go to Gwen for advice when she hardly knew her, and yet here they were. And Gwen was honestly flattered.

She thought for a moment. "But you _have_ been going out for a long time. A few months now, right?"

"Right…"

"And you've been doing what, exactly?"

"Trying not to act like a typical high school couple."

Gwen blinked. "But you _are_ a high school couple."

"Yeah, but we don't make out in the hallways and walk to each other's classes," Carter said exasperatedly. "Hell, we've only gone on one date!"

Gwen stared at her in disbelief. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, and it was a total bust." Carter gave a bark of laughter. "Can't exactly call it dating, now can you?"

"Yes, you can," Gwen said sternly. "You're just going slowly is all. Maybe that's what you need to do."

Carter thought back to earlier in the day. "…right…"

"What, you don't believe me?"

No, no, I believe you." Carter held her hands up in surrender. "I just wouldn't say we've been going slowly."

"Then what have you been doing?" Gwen suddenly shook her head. "Scratch that; I don't want to know." Carter silently attested to that.

"I think you should go the middle ground," Gwen finally decided. "Not too fast, but not too slow. Just go from there and see how it goes."

Carter thought for a moment. "Yeah…yeah, that could work." She gave Gwen a relieved smile. "Thanks, Gwen, you're a lifesaver."

She had to give her a happy smile after hearing that. She still had some trouble accepting Carter as Ben's girlfriend-they just seemed so wrong for each other on paper- but he liked her and Carter really wanted to make the relationship work. How could Gwen not give her support?

"Come on," she said. "We have a party to get back to."

* * *

><p><em>Like I said, lime ending comically. <em>

_Not gonna lie, this story is going to really push the envelope sometimes. I personally love stories like this in real life-everyone's too scared about the crazy trolls who want to destroy all the good in life, so they're rare- and I've always wanted to read fanfiction like that. But since I've never seen it, I decided to write it. Hope you enjoy._


	33. In Which Kevin Becomes the Car Guy

Chapter 33: In Which Kevin Becomes the Car Guy

Sam was pacing in front of her house, nervously clenching her hands as she searched for the familiar Dodge Challenger. After band practice she and Evan had worked together on what she would say to Kevin about the parent meet up. Admittedly, she should have gone to Carter-she was better at English, after all-but she seemed busy. So after a half hour of furiously scratching out a script of what Sam should say, Evan gave the okay to call Kevin.

And here Sam was outside her house, pacing back and forth with the script memorized in her head. _Kevin, I know this is sudden, but my parents think you're my boyfriend and they want to meet you. It'd mean a lot to me if you'd play along._

"Not too demanding and it makes it seem like he's doing you a favor," Evan had mused earlier. "It might just work."

_**Nice to know you're go to guy guru is occasionally handy, **_Kirche commented playfully in Sam's head. _**Though I don't think a script will work on Kevin.**_

_How do you mean?_

_**Kevin's a wild card; you can't easily gauge his reactions. **_Kirche sighed happily. _**I just love passionate guys like him. **_

_Touch him and I'll break you in half._

_**You can't hurt me without hurting yourself, **_Kirche sang before becoming serious. _**But seriously, its guys like him that start the best wars. You can't blame me for liking him. **_

_Please keep you're mad philosophy to yourself, _Sam thought with a tired sigh. _I need to concentrate. _Kirche mercifully fell silent.

And then Kevin rolled up in his car, the window beginning to roll down. He stopped in front of her and he put his head out. "You wanted to talk?" he asked, sounding nervous.

The script Sam memorized flew out of her mind like a thousand birds taking flight. "Yes," she croaked as she got into the car. "Can…can we drive out of the neighborhood?" She didn't want the snoopy Slayer neighbors getting wind of this.

Kevin nodded slowly and began to drive out of there. The tension between them was thick, and the silence was deafening. Sam was desperately trying to remember what she wrote earlier, but it was like trying to catch a ghost; her hand glided through the specter and she only got air.

Kevin, on the other hand, was clutching his steering wheel in a dead man's grip. He had a feeling he knew what this was about. Sam was going to break up with him- no, not break up, they weren't necessarily dating before, but they _did_ kiss just the night before. Sam was going to break off whatever was going on between them, and just when it was going so well...

Kevin parked the car a good ten minutes away from Sterling Hills, in a dune very close the desert. He forced himself to look at Sam, who was rather pale in the face. He raised an eyebrow; maybe she didn't want to break up after all. Relief flooded through him before the question popped up in his brain: what _did_ Sam want to talk about?

"Sam, you wanted to talk?" Kevin asked his eyebrow still up. Sam opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again. Her brow furrowed as she said:

"My parents think you're my boyfriend."

Out of all the things Kevin imagined when he got the phone call, he didn't quite imagine this.

"Aren't I your boyfriend?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"That's just it. Where, exactly, does our relationship stand?" Sam turned to him, her face indifferent, but her eyes calculating. She seemed to be studying him, trying to gauge his reaction so she could equally react.

Kevin shrugged his shoulders, trying to hide the nervousness he was feeling. "I don't know. I thought we had something, but…" He let the question hang.

"I know we had something last night," Sam said. Her tone wasn't seductive or accusing. It seemed more like a statement, like she couldn't quite believe it. "We didn't get a chance to talk about it, so I don't know where we stand."

Kevin boldly swooped down and kissed her on the cheek. "I want you to be my girlfriend," he murmured into her ear. Sam's heart was going a hundred miles a second. "Can I be your boyfriend?"

Sam was never one to express her emotions through words. She was taught that actions spoke loudest in comparison. And a kiss seemed pretty loud to her.

It was soft and experimental, the tentative beginning to a new relationship. They simply stayed in the same position, bodies curved towards each other, faces meeting halfway. A full minute passed before they allowed each other to break free.

Kevin was looking at her, his black eyes boring into her own copper brown. She hated how hot her face felt, the weakness she was showing. But Sam was okay with letting down her defenses around him. She'd been okay with it for a long time now.

Speaking of defenses… "My parents want to meet you," Sam said suddenly, making the goofy smile on Kevin's face melt away.

"Aw, shit."

"It had to happen at some point," she pointed out. Kevin gave a grunt before he smacked his forehead on the steering wheel.

"They're going to hate me."

"My mom won't," Sam said, failing at being reassuringly. "She doesn't know how to hate. And to be honest, I think she's curious."

Kevin turned his head and allowed a tiny smirk. "The bad boy with the broken home dating the spoiled rich girl. We're like a Lifetime movie."

"If this was a Lifetime movie you'd have raped me by now," Sam deadpanned. "And, to be honest, she seemed excited to meet you. I guess she thinks you make me happy."

"Do I?" Kevin asked hopefully. The blush that was dusting her face was all the answer he needed.

"Yeah, but my dad hates your guts." And there went Kevin's smile.

"Already?"

"You're dating his little girl; _of course_ he hates you."

"And he won't give me the benefit of the doubt?"

"No," Sam said simply. "On the plus side, it'll be a Skype meeting, so he can't kill you."

"There's the silver lining I was looking for," Kevin joked, and Sam laughed, the tension gone in an instant. Kevin stared at her as she smiled a look that could be described as love struck on his face. It was soft, and it stayed on when he swooped down to kiss her again.

* * *

><p>"Son of a bitch."<p>

Ben and Gwen looked at Carter, their faces masks of concern. After the adults decided the kids should spend some time together, they escaped to Ben's room and had just started chatting. And then Carter got two texts, and now she had an ugly scowl on her face.

"What is it?" Ben asked tentatively.

"We've got some High Breed activity downtown," Carter began. Ben and Gwen were immediately out of their relaxed sitting positions.

"Call Sam and Evan and tell them to get Kevin," Ben ordered as he and his cousin walked towards the door.

"That's not the only problem here," Carter told them. They stopped in their tracks and looked at her.

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked.

"Isaac sent me a mission notice," the Goth explained. "The Pride has to hunt down a serial killer that just arrived in the Bellwood area."

"What, right now?" Ben inquired incredulously. "You can't go now, we need you!"

"Don't you mean _you_ need me?"

Gwen cut off Ben's spluttering. "Is it just one High Breed of a whole nest of them with DNAliens?"

Carter reread the text. "He says it's a lone High Breed. I think you can take care of him."

"We've never took on a High Breed with just three of us," Gwen pointed out. Carter put down her phone and thought for a moment.

"The Pride can easily dispose of just one High Breed, but we have our orders," she said in a clipped tone. "Unless you guys want to take on the serial killer…" Ben and Gwen furiously shook their heads. Carter smirked.

"So we split up for today?" Ben asked worriedly.

"Dude, you've got Gwen covering you," Carter scoffed. "And Kevin makes decent backup. You'll be fine." Ben had to smile at that.

Carter speed dialed Sam's number. "I'll call up Sam and Evan. You guys think up an excuse to tell your parents." She walked towards the window, peering out into the street while Gwen and Ben looked at each other and shrugged.

Sam picked up. "I know," she grunted.

"Hello to you too," Carter deadpanned. "Did you tell Evan?"

"Just got an answer; he's looking for James. Where are you?"

"Ben's house. Think you can all meet us there?"

"On it," Sam said. "I'm with Kevin so we can split up. See you in ten." She hung up and Carter turned to Ben and Gwen.

"Sam and Evan are meeting up here in ten minutes," she told them. "So, what are we telling your parents?" she asked Ben.

He shrugged an innocent smile on his face. "What I've been telling them for weeks; that we're hanging out."

"Funny how okay you are with lying," Carter mused. Gwen turned to him, glowering.

"What?" Ben said to his cousin. "I can't tell them that I'm fighting aliens, I have to lie. They'll believe anything I say."

"And you're okay with that," said Gwen frostily.

"No, but I've gotten used to it." Ben shrugged.

"I'm surprised they haven't caught on," Carter said. "You suck at lying."

"No I don't!"

"Your eye twitches when you lie. How they still believe you is beyond me."

* * *

><p><strong>Fifteen minutes later<strong>

"So what happened with Kevin?" Evan leered at Sam in the hearse. The Pride had just split up with Ben's team and was on their way to their mission. But first, they had to be teenagers. They might as well get it out of their systems.

"He's officially my boyfriend now," Sam said without a hint of embarrassment. Still her friends went, "Oooooh!" in their most immature voices.

"Oh shut up! You didn't do that with Carter!"

"Don't bring me into this!"

"I do what I want, FUCK THE POLICE!"

"May I kindly ask you to not shout?" James the Awesome Chauffeur loudly said from the driver's seat.

"Sorry," Sam said in a quieter voice.

"By the way, Isaac wanted to tell you that you have new uniforms," James continued. "They are under your seats. I suggest you change into them." And with that a black glass rolled up from behind his seat, separating the four of them.

They reached down and got out the metal boxes with their new costumes. Opening the lids, they discovered that it was still black. What a shocker!

"Aw, stoked!" Evan said, feeling the cloth. "Is this spider silk?"

Carter and Sam picked up their clothes and felt the torsos. They were used to Kevlar, the heavy, uncomfortable body armor the police used. But instead the black cloth was similar to the soft spider silk, a biological armor that was just as good as Kevlar, if not as well-known.

The three of them immediately began to change. Normally if two girls were undressing in front of a boy, they would all be embarrassed to do so. This wasn't the case for the Pride. They had been together for so long that they were like siblings to each other. It was easier to change in front of your siblings.

The black unitards the girls were wearing were long sleeved with turtlenecks. Attached at the waist was a little thigh length black skirt. The one and half inch high heeled boots were the same, along with the fingerless gloves and masks. Evan's outfit was separated into two pieces: a black turtleneck with black pants like before. Only this time the outfit was made out of spider silk. His fingerless gloves were the same, but he was happy to see that he got new combat boots.

As Sam pinned her hair up, she said, "Why the change? There was nothing wrong with what we were wearing before."

The black window rolled down to reveal the back of James's head again. "They are indeed similar to your old costumes, but Lucille thought it best to get rid of the Kevlar. She said that was far too bulky and that spider silk might be good in the market."

"Nice to know my emotionally unstable grandma can occasionally make a good point," Sam said with an exasperated sigh.

"I don't know what you have against your grandma," Evan said as he put on his black wig. "I like her."

"That's because when she's happy she can handle your level of crazy," Sam said as she finished putting up her hair.

"True, but when she's angry she does our jobs for us," Evan pointed out with an evil little smile on his face.

"Yeah, but when she's angry she turns into Lucifer," Carter said darkly. That put everyone in a grim mood.

James cleared his throat to change the subject. "Do you want to know more about the woman you'll be hunting?"

"We're dealing with a female?" Sam raised an eyebrow. "We haven't done that in a while."

"Yes, the stigma is that men are more likely to be the violent party, murdering people when it suits them," James told them. "The mentality has been like that for centuries. The Slayers know that both sexes are capable of murder, but a lot of people are unwilling to accept the idea."

"Yeah, and girls are more catty than guys are," Carter admitted. "Guys physically beat people up, girls destroy people emotionally, which may have led to the stereotype."

"Yes, but this particular woman has chosen a very brutal path," James said darkly. "Evan, do you have the scanner I gave you?"

"Right here, J-man," Evan said jovially in contrast to the mood. In his hand was a slim, silver device that looked like a credit card. He squeezed it and a light appeared from above it, becoming a square screen in midair. The hologram showed the two-dimensional picture of a woman in her twenties.

"Lindsay Proctor," James began. "Age twenty-three, recently graduated from the University of Chicago with a law degree. When she was growing up she was sexually abused by her father and older brother while her mother did nothing. She tried telling people about her home life but was constantly shut down by teachers and other adults. When her father heard about what she'd done, the abuse escalated.

"We believe that when Lindsay realized she wasn't going to get any help from adults, she took matters into her own hands. Just after her high school graduation she killed her brother, mother and father by cutting the brakes. They all died in the resulting car crash and Lindsay got all the money because she was eighteen. She went to college, made lots of friends, and was ready to get on with her life.

"And then a serial rapist appeared on campus, and Lindsay's already fragile mind snapped. She hunted him down and killed him in cold blood. When his friends found the body, they held an enormous service for him even though Lindsay had confirmed he was the rapist. So she killed them all with the same knife she used to kill their friend."

The Pride took a minute to absorb all of this. "So, we're killing someone who's mentally unstable?" Sam said slowly, trying to piece the information together.

"Yes."

"In that case, shouldn't we try to help her?" Evan pointed out. "She's been abused for years; she needs to be put into a home or something."

"What good would that do?" Carter pointed out. "She tried reaching out for help only to get smacked down. She wouldn't trust anyone with her problems. And putting her into a home would be holding her prisoner."

"Exactly," James said flatly. "There's no hope for her in this world, and we can't give her second chances. It'd be best to end it for her."

Sam studied the hologram. Lindsay Proctor was blonde with a pixie cut, making her sweet brown eyes bigger. She had a heart shaped face with an impish mouth, and she was smiling into the camera. But there was a spark in her eyes that was unnerving, an almost mad gleam that pervaded the picture. She seemed to be nearing a breakdown.

"Let's do this quickly," Sam finally said.

* * *

><p>Lindsay Proctor actually lived in the next town, a ways away from Bellwood. The town was small like an oasis in the desert. It was a bustling community that knew no hard times. It was the perfect place for Lindsay to strike again.<p>

Lindsay was walking home from her job, her laptop case swinging at her side. She was dressed all in pink and humming a merry tune as she walked up the driveway to her ranch home.

"Seems pretty normal, doesn't she?" Carter murmured from the shadows. "Like she's just enjoying her walk."

"Maybe she honestly is," Sam whispered. "It's a nice day out, she should enjoy it."

"She doesn't have a long time to live," Evan finished for Sam, his voice grim. They watched as Lindsay got the keys out of her bag and opened the front door. They heard the click of a lock as she closed the white door.

"Smart girl; bet she's got a decent security system," Carter murmured.

"If she's really paranoid, it'll be state of the art," Sam whispered back.

"Let's go inside," Evan ordered, and together the three of them melded back into the shadows and slid over the front lawn and under the doorway.

The inside was impeccably clean: the white carpet was pristine, if a little old, the bookshelf had the books arranged in alphabetical order, the flowers by the window had been recently pruned, and there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere.

They found Lindsay in the kitchen. Like the rest of the house, it was a little old and was noticeably clean. The tiled floor was spotless, the table didn't have a scratch on it, the stovetop was shining and the countertop was free of clutter. Lindsay was still humming, grabbing fresh vegetables from the refrigerator and a cutting board from the cabinets attached to the walls.

After washing her hands and arranging everything just so on the counter, Lindsay got a cutting knife from the drawer and began to slice the vegetables. No, not slicing; it was more like hacking. Each swipe with the knife made Lindsay's grin become a little wider, stretching across her face in a strange mask. Her humming was quicker paced, and occasionally she let out a little giggle if a slice was particularly satisfying.

When she was finished she went to the cabinets again for something, but then she stopped. Her hand was hovering near the doorknob as she stood there silently, having finally finished her little song. She snapped her head around and frantically searched the kitchen, her eyes wide. For a second her panicked gaze swept over the Pride, who were hiding in the shadows in a corner. They stood stock still, their hearts in their throats as Lindsay finally looked past them, surveying the rest of the kitchen.

With an unsatisfied grunt she went over to the window and threw open the curtains, letting in the light. Lindsay searched the kitchen again. With a little smile she went back to her cooking, humming her little merry tune again.

Sam let out a breath that Lindsay did not hear. She wished she could see the others; no doubt they would look at her with shocked expressions on their faces. This had never happened to the Pride before. No one ever knew they were there before they allowed themselves to be seen. But it seems even they weren't good enough to handle Lindsay Proctor's insanely accurate paranoia.

Evan took a deep breath and made to step out of the shadows, but Carter put her arm out in front of him. He and Sam looked at her and she pointed to herself. Evan allowed a grudging nod and Carter stepped out of the shadows.

Her high heel made a _click_ noise on the tiled floor. For a second Lindsay stopped humming and listened intently. Then she went back to her cooking, turning on the stove and put a skillet on the heated part. Carter dared to step completely out of the shadows when Lindsay began to fry the vegetables. Over the hiss of cooking it would be hard for her to hear the assassin coming for her.

Carter clutched her wrist and summoned her scythe. With the white mask, the black clothes and the Grim Reaper's signature weapon in her hands she looked the imitation of death, descending on the wicked with silent fury. She slowly made her way towards Lindsay, her heels making soft clicking noises.

With a savage cry Lindsay whirled around and flung the frying pan at Carter, who barely ducked down in time. She looked up to see the pink-clad pixie hold up her cutting knife and her instincts kicked in. Carter backed away as Lindsay tried to stab her. She watched calmly as Lindsay made animalistic grunting noises as she wielded her paltry weapon.

Her eyes widened just a bit when Lindsay threw herself at Carter, clawing and stabbing. She recovered quickly enough to use her powers and rapidly melted into a puddle, weapon and all. The colorless liquid split in half when Lindsay fell to the floor, knife clutched in hand. She looked around wildly, confusion written on her face as she searched for her assassin.

The split water cumulated behind her and quickly Carter's head emerged from the giant puddle, then her torso, then her legs. She stared coldly at the murderess beneath.

She raised her scythe up high.

Lindsay whirled around, her eyes wide.

A meaty splash, a strangled scream cut short, and blood pooling under the body, soaking into a fluffy pink sweater and dark pink skirt. Lindsay's sweet brown eyes looked at the ceiling sightlessly, her mouth still open in a silent shout. Her killer looked on silently, stepping over the carcass and into the puddle of blood.

"Call for the clean-up crew," Carter said indifferently as she searched the drawers in the kitchen. She finally found the cleaning rags folded up neatly in the middle drawer, all of them a neutral beige color. She quickly began to clean the blood off her scythe.

Sam and Evan got out from their hiding spot and made their way over to her. Evan stared at Lindsay and said, "Why did you stop me before?"

"She's been abused by guys all her life," Carter said. "I didn't think a guy should kill her."

Evan gave a nod to show he understood and then got out his phone. Sam knelt down and spared a pitying glance at Lindsay's empty eyes. "You poor thing," she murmured as she slid a hand over her eyes and closed them.

* * *

><p>The three of them were in the hearse, driving away from the crime scene. They never waited for the clean-up crew to show up. They always did, so why bother?<p>

Their masks were off and Sam and Evan were taking off their black wigs. Carter got out her cell phone and reread the text Isaac sent out earlier. "We should go to the High Breed's location," she stated. She looked at her friends as if daring them to argue.

Evan took the bait. "Ben and the others can take care of themselves."

She nonchalantly looked at her nails. "Oh, I know, it's just that I don't want to ignore a mission Isaac gave us."

Evan and Sam looked at each other and Sam got her phone out. "I'll call Kevin and see how their doing." Carter gave them a triumphant smile.

A minute later, Kevin answered. "Hey, what's up?" he answered nervously.

"Hold on, I'll put you on speaker," Sam quickly said, pressing the speaker button. She held the red phone out in front of her. "What's going on?"

"Gwen, could you handle this?" Kevin's voice was muffled, like he was talking away from his phone. A second later and Gwen's voice said, "We fought the High Breed if you want to know."

"How did it go?" Evan asked.

"Not too well," Gwen confessed.

"What happened?" Sam asked concerned.

"Well, we were trying to stop it from running away when it tried to use a teleporter pad. Then Kevin threw a rock at it and set it off, sending the High Breed and Ben to another planet."

It took a minute for that to sink in. "How did a rock activate a teleporter pad?" Carter asked dubiously.

"That's what you're worried about?" Sam muttered incredulously.

"It was a really big rock," Gwen said dismissively. "The point is that we're trying to get Ben back, but we don't know how."

"Tell us the location and we'll meet you there," Evan said firmly.

* * *

><p>"This is a pile of crap," Evan declared. "No, it's worse than crap."<p>

"Don't fuck with the teleporter pad!" Kevin growled. "If we can get it to work…"

"'If' being the operative word," Evan grumbled under his breath.

"Less fighting, more working," Sam said, looking at the wiring inside the control pad. The teleporter was located in an old factory-what wasn't these days?- that was dank and full of boxes. The High Breed was no doubt trying to steal it, though why he didn't have a posse of DNAliens was a mystery. The three of them were working on it, since Kevin knew alien technology and Evan was always good with machines. Sam was pretty good at wiring things thanks to her youth of jacking cars, so she figured she'd be of some help.

Gwen and Carter were off to the side, since neither knew how the teleporter worked or had the technical know-how to fix it. Gwen fixed Carter a cool look and said, "You don't seem very worried about Ben."

"Who says I'm not?" Carter said with a shrug. It was true; inwardly a part of her was freaking out over Ben's dilemma, but the cool, rational side of her knew he'd be okay. He had a knack of getting out of the worst possible situations with barely a scrape. This time was no exception.

"Tell me, are you worried?" Carter suddenly asked Gwen, startling her a bit.

"Yes," she said truthfully, "but Ben will be fine. He always is."

"Then you know how I feel." Carter smiled at her. Gwen gave her a half-smile before turning back to the teleporter pad.

Kevin was now near the teleporter, looking up the scanner attached to the side. "Everything looks fine but I can't make it work."

"Maybe we should call Beck," Sam said tactlessly. Kevin turned to her.

"Who's Beck?" he asked, his voice slightly jealous.

"He's a guy we know," Carter explained. "He's great with any type of technology. He should figure out what's wrong with the teleporter and fix it."

Sam looked at Kevin's murderous face and smiled pleasantly. "He's also the one who fixed your car after Manny totaled it."

Kevin whirled his head to her so fast he got a crick in his neck. Massaging it, he hissed, "_He_ _touched my car?"_

"Yeah; did I mention that he worships you now?"

He stared at her blankly. "He worships me?"

"Oh yeah," Sam said, laughter coloring her voice. "He took one look at your engine and decided you were his idol. You are now the Car Guy."

"The Car Guy," Kevin repeated, a dopey grin spreading across his face.

As if to enhance his holy status, a light emitted from the teleporter just behind him. A swirling blue vortex appeared from the hole. Kevin jumped back and watched with the others as Ben jumped through the light and landed on all fours.

Giant grins spread on everyone's faces as the light died down and Ben stood up. For some reason, he didn't have his jacket, but no one cared about that. Carter and Gwen immediately tackled him in a hug. Sam thumped him on the back and Evan punched his shoulder as the two girls let go of him.

"You gave us a scare," Kevin admitted, tousling Ben's hair affectionately.

"Where's the High Breed? Did he get away?" Gwen asked. A sad look came over Ben's features, and he averted his eyes. His voice was soft.

"I doubt it."


	34. The Human Torch and the Man of Steel

Chapter 34: The Human Torch and the Man of Steel

_I don't want to sound repetitive, but I was wondering if you guys thought about that Alice in Wonderland parody at all. The character that would make a perfect Cheshire Cat is introduced and I want your opinion before I write the chapter. Like I said it won't be for a long time before I even think about writing it, but I still want you guys to give me your opinion on the story. As an incentive, did I mention there would be chainsaws involved?_

_...What, am I the only one whose excited about that? *sweat drop* Okay then._

_And if you're too shy to review your opinion, you can always PM me. I promise not to bite your head off. _

* * *

><p>Kevin was still resolute in making the teleporter pad work. Evan called him an idiot.<p>

"Look at the pot calling the kettle black," Kevin snapped back sarcastically. Evan narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"Don't," Carter said, alarmed. She was seeing the warning signs of an Evan blow out. If he wasn't careful, Kevin might lose a limb, or worse.

Evan looked back at her, his gaze softening a bit. And then he snapped back to Kevin and said, "Stop working on it, you greaser."

Kevin threw down the wrench he was holding and snarled, "What'd you call me?"

"A greaser," Gwen quickly interjected, getting in between the two boys. "It's a slang term from the 1950s for guys who _really_ loved their cars."

Kevin looked at Evan, slightly mollified. Evan shrugged and turned away, crossing his arms. Carter walked over and picked the wrench back up. She handed it to Kevin and gestured towards the teleporter. He took the hint.

"You really should help him with that," Carter told Evan. Gwen face palmed.

"Are you starting that again?"

* * *

><p><strong>Outside the factory<strong>

Ben was sitting on the ground, his back against the wall. He should have been inside the factory with his friends, working out the functions of the teleporter and plotting their next move. But he couldn't look at the portal without thinking about Reiny, stuck on that desert planet in self-enforced exile, all because Ben helped him out.

He slammed his fist on the ground, hating how his eyes were pricking. But it was just so unfair, this bigoted High Breed supremacy. There was no higher order of aliens that was supposed to rule over the rest; Hitler's extermination plan proved it. And Reiny had eventually seen the flaws in the brainwashing, had seen the truth behind the thick veil of lies the High Breed's grew up with. He had actually been civil to Ben near the end. So why was he stuck on that planet, determined to rot?

_**Because it went against everything he believed in, **_Ventus said softly in Ben's head. For once, he was so incredibly glad to hear the god's voice. If there was a time to be coddled, it was now.

_**Reiny eventually realized that the mentality the High Breeds upheld for so long was false. You changed him Ben. It's a great thing, but Reiny is the only High Breed to sort of change his ways. As the odd one out, he would have been executed for going against the group. He may have thought it was safer to stay on that planet than to "contaminate" the other High Breeds with his new way of thinking.**_

Ben didn't say anything. There were no words to describe his feelings. He hugged his knees closer to him, staring up at the cloudless sky. The pricking behind his eyes was still there, but there was no point in crying. Ben had to lead his team in the rebellion. He couldn't afford to cry over every little thing.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Sam said, walking up to him. She had escaped the factory and Evan and Kevin's arguing, preferring to let the problem sort itself out. Of course, Gwen stayed behind to try to calm the angry teens, and Carter would stop Evan from blowing up. It was all a noble cause, but an exhausting one.

Ben turned to her, and Sam could see the exhaustion on his face; it was like he had aged ten years in only a few short hours. She sat beside him and Ben continued to stare at the sky.

"Can I ask what happened to you back there?" Sam asked, trying to catch Ben's eye. He stubbornly refused to meet her gaze, opting to stare at the starry night sky instead of talk. But then his shoulders sagged slightly, and he leaned against the cold wall, staring at the ground.

"I was able to see eye to eye with the High Breed," Ben said quietly. Sam started. With all their talk about High Breed supremacy, it was a shock to hear of even one of them speaking to the human vermin like an equal.

Ben continued: "It was hard at first, but Reiny and I eventually saw past our differences long enough to help each other out. I even reattached his arm after a giant bug bit it off." Ben smiled fondly at the memory, and then his mouth turned back into a thin straight line. "But he stayed behind because he said I contaminated him. Contaminated!" he scoffed angrily. "I freaking saved his life and he won't even say thank you!"

"That prick!" Sam cried out helpfully.

"I know!" Ben said. "And now he's stuck on that planet to rot because I helped him. And he's on a desert planet. Did you know High Breeds can only survive in a cold environment?" he asked her.

"I noticed," Sam said dryly, thinking of the weather towers.

"He's stuck on there because he can't contaminate the other High Breeds," Ben said, frustrated. "Just when you think someone's changed, they do this to you." He leaned back angrily against the wall, crossing his arms.

"Sounds like you did change him," Sam pointed out. "But if he went back and showed it, he'd be prosecuted by the other High Breeds. If he stayed on the desert planet, he'd at least be alive."

"I get that," Ben snapped, his angry façade cracking. "I get that, but it still hurts." Sam gently pulled him closer to her, putting his head on her shoulder and putting an arm around him. Ben stiffened, not used to such contact from the redhead, but soon he allowed himself to be comforted, closing his eyes as a few wisps of Sam's hair fell on his forehead.

"Do you want to hear a secret?" Sam asked suddenly, her voice a whisper.

"Sure," Ben answered softly.

She turned her gaze back towards the sky. "Evan, Carter and I have been doing a lot of speculation about why Cordelia forced us together."

Ben opened one eye and turned it on her. "Go on."

"We don't know for sure, because Cordelia never lets us know what she's planning until it's all over," Sam explained quickly. "But we think a lot of her hidden agenda has something to do with you."

"With me," Ben repeated.

Sam nodded slightly. "Uh-huh. We think it's because of your lineage. Not only is a Slayer your grandfather, but you're related to the greatest Plumber in history. You have the blood of two opposite forces in you, forces that will work with you or against you at any given moment. But because of your unusual circumstances, you're the only one who can end the feud between the Slayers and Plumbers once and for all."

"That's a lot of pressure," Ben remarked. The weight on his shoulders increased tenfold.

"Yeah, it is," Sam agreed. "And the only way to do it is to see both sides of the issue. That's why we want you to grow up so much. It doesn't have to be today or tomorrow or even next week. But one day you have to step up to the plate and take charge of the movement. You're the only one who can bring us together."

"So, no pressure then," Ben said dryly, his eyes squeezed shut.

Sam smiled softly. "But until then, you can do what Evan does: act like a goofy kid."

"I am not goofy!"

"Sure, Tennyson. Whatever you say."

* * *

><p><strong>A few days later<strong>

"What the hell?" Carter asked dumbly to Isaac's order. They were in the study once more with Cordelia nowhere in sight.

"Language, sweetheart," Isaac chided her. "But I don't blame you. Ben's name has been popping up all over the alien network, and it doesn't sound good."

"So what?" Carter asked. "Ben has a lot of enemies. Of course they're going to say bad things about him."

"Don't roll your eyes like that," Isaac said calmly. "This is no ordinary trash talk. According to the rumors Ben attacked a Forever Knight castle and completely destroyed it, including the people inside."

"That doesn't sound like him at all."

"It really doesn't," Isaac agreed. "What's worse is that it was an unprovoked attack. If this keeps up Ben's already fragile reputation as the universal hero will go up in flames."

"So what are your orders?" Carter asked seriously.

"I want you to track Ben down and interrogate him," Isaac commanded. "See if he's really behind everything. If he is then cut him down."

"But then your entire plan goes in the toilet!" Carter cried out, shocked. Cordelia was supposed to be the callous one, not Isaac.

"There are no exceptions," Isaac said sternly, his pupils stretching out until they were thin slash marks. "We've already allowed Ben too many allowances. We can't afford any more right now."

A monster seemed to be clawing at Carter's insides, crying out in anger at the unfairness of the situation. She wanted to scream, to destroy the bastard who was framing Ben and forcing her to hunt him down. Her hands were shaking, as if anticipating a possible strangulation. But she reeled in her emotions, becoming the obedient doll so many people expected her to be. There would be time to unleash her fury later.

"When do you want me to leave?" Carter said through clenched teeth.

* * *

><p>The hearse drove through Ben's neighborhood. Sam tried to stare out of the tinted windows to no avail. She turned to Carter right across from her, but she was in no condition to talk. She was trying to look stoic, her legs and arms crossed and her face expressionless. The only problem was her eyes. The usual wolf gray looked stormy, an unusual shade that didn't belong on Carter's face.<p>

The hearse stopped right in front of Ben's home. The lights were on in the living room; Carter and Sam would have to be careful when sneaking in. When they got out James rolled the car past them and out of sight. The girls then disappeared, their shadows stretching out towards the house and under the front door.

Ben and Evan were in the living room, sitting on the couches. Physic textbooks lay open on the coffee table, and worksheets and notes were strewn across the glass surface. Evan had stuck a pencil behind his ear and he watched as Ben quickly scribbled down notes. He was about to comment on his doppelganger's horrible penmanship when he felt an alien presence enter the room.

He stood up and said, "I know you're there." Carter and Sam appeared in front of the boys as if out of thin air. Ben stopped writing and looked at them, surprised. His pencil poised over the paper, he said:

"You guys know how to knock, right?"

"We're not here on a social visit, Ben," Sam said solemnly. "We have to interrogate you."

Evan's jaw dropped. "You're kidding. Please tell me you're kidding."

"We wish we were," Carter said, her tone emotionless. "According to Isaac Ben attacked a Forever Knight castle without any provocation. He slaughtered almost everyone inside."

"I didn't do that!" Ben protested, getting on his feet. "Isaac know me, Carter. _You_ know me!" His eyes tried to meet hers, and he was surprised at how cold they were. She never looked at him like that; her eyes were usually full of wit and mirth. To see the detachment directed at him was unnerving.

"We know that," Carter said resolutely. "_I_ know that. But we have our orders." Ben sat down in shocked silence. Evan looked back and forth at the two of them, unsure of what to say.

"Isaac never said how we should conduct the interrogation," Sam interjected suddenly. "Besides, we already stated that we know Ben. A few harmless questions should be all the proof Isaac needs." Slowly, ever so slowly, Ben's smile returned to his face. Only then did the others show their relief.

The front door suddenly banged open, and Kevin and Gwen marched in with determined looks on their faces. "Congratulations, Tennyson," Kevin joked. "You're finally putting the Omnitrix to maximum use. You know clandestine butt-kicking wise." Gwen punched him in the shoulder. "OW!"

"I didn't destroy any damn castle!" Ben snapped at him, his good mood gone. Gwen looked at Sam and Carter.

"We already told him," Sam admitted.

"We saw him as Jetray flying away from a battle," Gwen told them angrily.

"That can't be. I've been here all evening forcing Evan to tutor me for a physics test tomorrow." Ben held up the textbook for emphasis. "It's my worst subject, and I've hardly gotten better even with Evan teaching me all week."

"It's true," Evan said blithely. "I never thought I'd see someone worse than Carter in math." Carter snatched the pencil from behind his ear and waved it in front of his face.

"You want me to shove this in your mouth?" she asked half-jokingly. "Or any part of your body, I'm not real particular where I stick this."

Sam quickly snatched back the pencil, a smile on her face. "I'm the one who's supposed to be threatening people, not you."

"Has it ever occurred to any of you that maybe Ben's not really studying?" Gwen narrowed her eyes at Ben, wisely ignoring the playful threat. Evan sighed.

"I've been with him nearly all week, Gwen. I'd think I notice if he was missing."

"Maybe you're in on it."

"Dude, we'd know if Evan was going around slaughtering people," Carter pointed out. "He hasn't had a blow out in almost a year."

"How do you know for sure?"

"When was that last Haitian earthquake?"

"_Anyway_," Sam said loudly when she saw the freaked out looks on everyone's faces, "the point is that we don't really know if it _is_ Ben. I mean, there are millions of aliens out there. Anyone of them could have taken out the Forever Knights."

Gwen's shoulders sagged slightly, her expression weary. "Since Grandpa Max is gone we have to rely on each other. If you have a secret, spill it. _Now_."

"Ben really has been studying all week," Evan insisted. "He's been making progress, but if he doesn't pass tomorrow's test, his grade is sunk."

Carter suddenly lit up. "I know a way we can prove Ben's innocence." She turned to him and asked, "Did you or did you not just destroy a Forever Knights castle?"

"I didn't."

"I believe him," Kevin suddenly piped up.

"How do you know?" Gwen demanded to know.

"When he lies his left eye twitches."

"You caught on that too?" Carter said happily as Ben felt his eye out.

"Who knows, though?" Kevin suddenly turned serious. "You might've been blackin' out and sleep fightin.'"

"Is that even possible?" Sam asked Evan. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Do you think the Omnitrix is making you attack your enemies in your sleep?" Gwen no longer seemed to be accusing Ben.

Ben groaned. "If we're going to discuss this, I need chili fries, because someone didn't want any!" He yelled the last part at Evan.

Evan turned up his nose. "What? They're disgusting."

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you forced me to come here!" Evan pouted in the backseat, his arms crossed over his chest. Gwen and Carter were on either side of him, Gwen staring out the window at the fast food joint, Carter with her face turned towards Evan.<p>

"It was either that or stay at Ben's house," Carter pointed out. "By the way, how did his parents take it when they saw you?"

"They were surprised at first, but they took it in stride," Evan said with a shrug. "Having me around for the past week must have helped them get used to me."

"Well, that was fast," Kevin remarked from the driver's seat.

"Not really. A week should be-"

Kevin interrupted Evan. "I'm talkin' about Ben. He got his order really-hey, where's he goin'?" Everyone turned to see Ben walking out towards the parking lot far away from the Dodge Challenger. He seemed unusually angry and immediately changed into Big Chill.

"What the hell?" Sam exclaimed as the alien unfurled its giant wings and launched itself into the air.

"Something's wrong with him," Carter said as she got out of the car. "Kevin, Gwen, you track him from the car. Evan, Sam, and I'll take the skies." The other two immediately jumped out of the car and followed her as they ran towards the end of the parking lot. They too unleashed their strange wings and took off.

Gwen looked at Kevin from the backseat. He shrugged and started the car, immediately swerving out of the parking lot just as Ben Tennyson walked out of the restaurant.

Ben was no stranger to weird experiences. It was practically a given. But when the cook of the Burger Shack spoke to him like he'd already been there, well, that was a whole new level of weird. Obviously the cook had been seeing things-things like Ben doppelgangers, for instance-so he just chalked it up as a one-time mistake.

And then he saw Kevin's car speed out of the parking lot. Because today just couldn't get any weirder. Ben immediately turned into Big Chill and flew off after them.

* * *

><p>"Ben!" Carter called out to the alien. He ignored her. She threw a snow ball at him. "Answer me!"<p>

"Don't think that's going to work," Evan remarked as Big Chill headed towards the Forever Knight castle. He saw a bright light out of the corner of his eye. "Sam, why are you copying the Human Torch?"

A glowing red light emanated from Sam's body, her skin radiating extreme heat. She seemed like a fiery angel sent from the heavens to smite the nonbelievers. "I figured Kevin might want to follow the light."

"Smart," Carter commented as she lobbed another snow ball at Big Chill. Big Chill actually turned around and blew a cold blast from his mouth. Sam immediately got in front of it and blew it apart, turning the ice blast into steam. Just as quickly the steam disappeared, reappearing as a water whip in Carter's hand.

Big Chill didn't even turn around to see if the attack did its job. He was already speeding off towards the castle, the big gate within his sights.

Now thoroughly miffed, Carter sent her water whip at the alien, hitting him once on the rear with a large _SNAP_. Big Chill gave a yelp, rubbing his behind as he turned around glaring daggers.

"I need some room," Carter said to the others. Sam and Evan got the hint and flew to opposite sides of the battle area. Carter smirked and made a gesture that clearly meant 'Come at me bro.'

With an indignant cry Big Chill launched himself at Carter, fists flying. Carter put her arms up in the praying mantis position and blocked. Big Chill flew back a few feet to punch again. Carter grabbed his fist and prodded it sharply, hitting the pressure points. She drew the alien closer, getting all up in his buggy face.

"Who are you?" she demanded to know. "Why are you impersonating Ben Tennyson?"

The alien didn't bother to answer. He wrenched himself out of Carter's grasp and aimed a head kick at her. She blocked and hit another pressure point. He gave a grunt and aimed another jab with his hand. Carter grabbed that hand and head butted the alien.

The alien staggered out of her grasp, a hand to his head. Then he aimed another ice blast from his mouth. Eyes glowing sea green Carter put her hands out in front of her and moved them in a slight circular motion.

The alien's eyes bugged out as the ice he had been creating quickly turned into water. The water pooled in his mouth and he gagged as the liquid was forced out through his lips and into the air. The water drifted slowly upward, a grotesque image that belonged in a horror movie.

And suddenly, the water was completely out of his mouth and with a snap made its way towards Carter, moving at lightning speeds. It circled around her like a protective ring. With a strangled gasp Big Chill tried to fly away from her, speeding towards the Forever Knights castle once more.

"I've got a stupid idea and I'm not afraid to use it!" Evan cried out as his beloved twin guns were summoned into his hands. He flew after Big Chill, easily catching up to him. Big Chill looked back and tried to fly away faster, but Evan was having none of that.

He flew right on top of Big Chill, who didn't have the sense to look up. Evan gave a slight whistle, and the blue alien looked up alarmed. He turned his body sideways so that Evan and Big Chill were truly facing each other, once on top of the other.

And then Evan's wings contracted into his back, and he fell on top of the alien. They plummeted down to the ground with Carter and Sam screaming Evan's name.

With the wind whistling past him and the ground nearing, Evan shoved the barrel of one gun into the alien's mouth and said with a grin: "Don't worry! This'll kill you before the ground does."

This did not relieve Big Chill.

With a dead man's effort he wrestled with Evan in midair, the two of them rolling around and around as they fell to their deaths. Carter and Sam flew after them at top speed, Carter disappearing into the night, Sam appearing as a falling meteor. They watched as Evan and Big Chill crashed into the trees and disappeared into the ground below with a plume of debris wafting from the wreckage. They doubled their speed and landed on the crash site.

The Forever Knights castle, which was just a few yards away, had guards posted around the entrance. They noticed something falling through the sky, had seen the crash and heard the thunderous boom when the thing landed. The stationed guards alerted the men inside and some went out to investigate.

Evan had been temporarily knocked out, but he came to rather quickly considering he had just fallen from the sky. When he opened his eyes, he could barely make out a glowing blue hand reaching towards him.

"Out of all the stupid things you've done all these years, this one tops them all," Carter scolded him as she lifted his head into her arms. Evan gave a weak chuckle, but then winced as his eagle-spread body sent pain through him.

"Out of all the stupid things I've done, this one barely scrapes the middle," Evan said in a raspy voice. "_Admit it."_

"No!" Carter huffed as she worked her magic.

_**It really was stupid you know,**_ Erda said in Evan's head. Instead of yelling, he sounded exhausted. Clearly all the years of watching and protecting his vessel from dying because of his reckless stunts detached himself from the enormity of the situation. _**If it wasn't earth you landed on, you'd be dead. **_

_If I didn't have Cordelia's training, I would have been dead before I hit the ground._

…_**Touché. But next time, think before you act.**_

_But I _did_ think before I act. I knew that with Cordelia's training and with you looking out for me, I'd be alive, _Evan thought cheekily. Erda gave a low growl but said nothing.

Sam was in the middle of the road, her red glow alerting Kevin of where she was. It also alerted the Forever Knights that she was an otherworldly creature and therefore must be destroyed, no questions asked.

The barbarians screamed and hoisted their alien weaponry at Sam. Sam stood with her feet apart in a ready stance when Big Chill appeared out of nowhere and instantly turned the Knights to ice with a blast from his mouth. Without looking at her he sped off towards the entrance. Sam turned her glow off and went after him.

"YOU!" Sam bellowed at Big Chill. He landed on the ground and stared at her apprehensively. About four Forever Knights took advantage of this and aimed their laser guns at the two aliens. Sam gave an annoyed sigh and snapped her fingers.

Immediately the weapons burst into the flames. The men holding them shrieked and flung them into the moat under the drawbridge they were standing on. With her eyes glowing red Sam could imagine the Knights hair suddenly catching fire, forcing them to abandon their posts.

It worked instantly. With the acrid smell of burning hair and the painful screams of grown men the four Knights threw themselves into the water and swam away. Big Chill looked at her with fear etched on his face.

"_Stay right here_," Sam hissed at him, enunciating each word with a jab at his chest. Her eyes were narrowed and still glowing red, giving her the look of an angry demon.

That was when the Dodge Challenger finally pulled up. Carter and Evan decided to reappear just then as well, Carter half-carrying, half-dragging the brunette towards the entrance.

"About time you showed up," Sam admonished Gwen and Kevin when they finally got out of the car. "You missed the best part."

"What happened to you?" Kevin asked Evan, concerned.

Carter scowled. "Don't worry about him, he'll be fine."

Evan fixed a grin. "You know me. I'm made of steel."

"Anyway, do you mind telling us what the hell you've been doing?" Gwen snarled at Big Chill, who had decided not to escape lest he incurred the wrath of his attackers. Sure, one of them would have to be hospitalized, but the other two looked fine and they had brought back up.

"It's not Ben," Carter told her. Gwen turned around and glared at her, hands on her hips.

"How can it not be Ben? It's got the Omnitrix symbol!" She pointed a finger at the symbol on the alien's chest. It indeed was the Omnitrix symbol.

"Maybe the Omnitrix really is controllin' 'im," Kevin said.

Just then another Big Chill swopped down in front of him, the Omnitrix symbol proudly showing on his chest. "What's up, guys?" he asked in his breathy voice.

Everyone turned to the Big Chill in front of Kevin and the Big Chill in front of Sam. "The fuck is going on?" Evan wondered out loud.

Suddenly the Omnitrix timed out, and the alien in front of Kevin turned back in Ben. "Seriously, why'd you guys leave me back there?" He then noticed the alien at the end of the drawbridge. "Who's this?"

The other alien was suddenly bathed in greenish white light, and the muscular alien turned into a scrawny human boy with familiar brown hair and green eyes, wearing jeans, a black t-shirt, and the signature green jacket with the ten in a black circle over his heart.

"Hello there," Ben Tennyson said with a smile.

* * *

><p><em>Like I said earlier, you can PM me your answer if you're too shy. I really want to hear your opinion on this, because it'll be the first time I write something about Alice in Wonderland.<em>


	35. Ben 10: The Clone Wars

Chapter 35: Ben 10: The Clone Wars

_I sincerely apologize for Kevin's out-of-character behavior in the beginning of this chapter. Here's my reasoning though: when Ben split into three in Ultimate Alien, Kevin already considered him a close friend. Right now Kevin can only tolerate Ben. And since Evan's also in the picture, his brain is going to overload. _

_And no, the Alice in Wonderland dream parody is not going to be next chapter. The story hasn't been set up that way. On the plus side, so many of you have given me the okay for the chapter, so now I can make it. *Does a happy dance* Thank you!_

_And just in case you're still deciding, remember that Alice in Wonderland was a dream that Alice had. Therefore, my Wonderland parody will also be a dream that will have little to do with the plot. It's basically going to be a crack-filled chapter with chainsaws. _

_No, I don't know how the chainsaws fit in. But it will eventually._

* * *

><p>Kevin screamed as his grip on reality loosened.<p>

Sam went up to him and slapped him. "Shut up!" He stared at her, holding his smarting cheek. And then he stared at the two Ben Tennysons in front of him, then turning to the beaten up Evan leaning against his car. He then swayed back and forth, murmuring, "Three Bens…t-three Bens…"

"What's wrong with him?" Gwen asked, concerned. Her eyes were large and she was holding her arms out in case Kevin decided to fall over.

"I'm guessing the shock of seeing three Bens made him snap," Carter deduced as Kevin slowly sank to the ground. Sam immediately grabbed his arms and hoisted him up, leading him to the car.

"Evan, watch over Kevin while we deal with Ben Two," Sam said as she opened the backseat. Evan shrugged, winced from the pain, and joined his incapacitated friend in the back of the car.

Ben, who had watched Kevin's breakdown with a kind of horrified fascination, turned to his new doppelganger. "So, who's our new good looking friend?"

"Ben…Tennyson?" The doppelganger's voice was strange; it was strained and high-pitched, like he hadn't gone through puberty yet. This also described the real Ben's voice rather well.

"A most difficult creature to find," the doppelganger continued. "But I must see you. I am Albedo of the Galvan."

"A Gray Matter?" Ben asked, puzzled. He gave his doppelganger a once over and said, "Kind of tall."

Ben Two didn't bother to remark on the joke. "I am the creator of the Omnitrix. I must have it back." He held out his hand expectantly.

"Uh, no, you're not the creator," Sam interjected, getting in between the two boys. Ben Two gave the slightest flinch but didn't back away. "Azmuth created the Omnitrix. Cordelia said so."

"Then this Cordelia is wrong."

"No, Cordelia's never wrong," Carter said, shaking her head. "I can literally count on one hand just how many times she's been proven wrong."

"Was that before or after you were born?" Gwen asked, an eyebrow raised. Carter opened her mouth to answer, and then shut it, her expression bemused.

"In that case, Azmuth is the liar!" Albedo snarled, getting the attention back on him.

"I doubt that," Ben said. He held up his Omnitrix. "There's only one Omnitrix in existence, so how do you have one?"

"I told you, Azmuth is a liar," Albedo said. "There are two Omnitrixes in existence, but both of them are faulty. I need to fix them. Hand it over." His hand was still held up expectantly.

"It works fine." Ben lowered his arm. "Even if it was somehow malfunctioning, I can't hand it over now. I need it to stop the DNAliens and High Breeds."

"The Omnitrix is incomplete and is prone to catastrophic malfunction," Albedo insisted. The look on his face gave the impression that he wasn't used to such opposition. Or if he was, he clearly disliked it.

Ben tapped the Omnitrix and smiled. "Seems fine to me."

"You have great luck or you would have already ripped a hole in the fabric of the universe."

Gwen studied Albedo for a minute and said, "It could be a High Breed trying to trick you out of it."

"Why would a High Breed want to impersonate a human?" Sam asked.

"And why would a High Breed want to use a weapon that a human used?" Carter inquired.

"Because it didn't have a choice?" Gwen shot back. Both girls shrugged and eyed Albedo.

"That's a good point though," Ben pointed out. He turned back to his doppelganger. "Why don't you show your face? It's a little crazy talking to myself."

"You talk to Evan all the time."

"Shut up Sam."

Albedo chose to ignore this. "I wish I could," he said honestly. "But I am stuck in this sticky, sweaty, noisy, hungry, hairy, smelly teenage human body."

"Yeah, we hate ours too," Carter joked, trying to fill Evan's void. It fell flat.

"You see, your DNA is encoded as the default in your Omnitrix," Albedo continued. "Mine synchronizes across space and time with yours. You have become my default as well."

"So which is it?" Sam hissed eyes narrowed into slits. "Do you want the Omnitrix to fix you or to keep the universe from falling apart?"

"Both!"

"Since you built the Omnitrix, tell me how it comes off," Ben said slowly. In truth even he didn't know; no one had ever told him and he kept forgetting to ask. But if Albedo really built the Omnitrix then the answer should easily roll off his tongue.

Albedo cupped his chin with his hand in a studious position and thought for a moment. "Yes, well, I trust you are well versed in the practical applications of eighth dimensional quantum gravity mono-poll equations." He was smirking _so_ hard right now.

Ben studied his clone for a minute, staring past the arrogant mask. He looked at his eyes-his very own similar eyes- and saw one of them give a small twitch.

"So my eye really does twitch when I lie," Ben noted.

"Told ya," Carter said, openly glaring at Albedo. He looked between the four of them. Gwen and Ben crossed their arms simultaneously.

"Very well," Albedo said slowly. "There are other ways to disarm you." He shoved Sam away from him and slammed down Jetray on his Omnitrix. He instantly turned into the alien and spread his wings. He grabbed Ben by his feet and flew to the sky, officially becoming a kidnapper.

Carter immediately summoned her bow and arrows, but lowered them a little when she saw Ben turn into Humungousaur. Sam turned her attention on the car, watching as Kevin breathe into a paper bag and Evan coaxing him to calm down. Sam tapped a fingernail on the glass. Evan turned to her and pointed upward at the two aliens. She took one last look at scared Kevin and turned back to the battle.

Jetray had let go of Humungousaur at this point, and the dinosaur had fallen into the moat. The girls watched as Humungousaur poked his head out of the water, growling. He ducked back down when Jetray went over him, firing lasers from his eyes.

Humungousaur leaped out of the water and climbed up the castle's wall to the roof, all the while dodging lasers. Carter forsook her weapons and dived into the water. Gwen looked at Sam, slightly alarmed, but Sam just shook her head. A bright light temporarily shone through the murky darkness.

And then the moat exploded around them, the water shooting upward. The black water towered over them, walls of liquid obsidian that shone in the moonlight. Gwen tentatively reached out a hand to touch the water only to have it swatted away by a human hand. She turned to mouth off Sam only to remember that she was on her left.

On Gwen's right was a tall woman swathed in a blue green toga. Her long black hair was in a ponytail and a circle of diamonds was nestled on her head. She had a thin oval face with half of her hair covering it in a triangular bang and her one visible eye was an impossibly dark blue. She was smiling slightly at Gwen, giving off a matronly air.

"Watch," Aquaria said her voice soft and sweet. She snapped her fingers and the walls of water quickly formed into millions of little hands, wriggling around like hydra heads. Jetray gave a shriek as one of the watery hands grazed his tail. He flew higher and higher as the hand monster reached out for him. The others stood frozen, watching in horrified fascination as Albedo panicked and thrashed.

Aquaria sighed. "There's only so much I can do with such a small water source."

After watching the horror show above, Gwen finally found her voice. "You call this a small water source?" She gestured to the large moat.

The goddess raised an eyebrow. "When you've commanded oceans, everything seems much smaller in comparison."

"Shouldn't we stop him?" Sam pointed at Jetray, who was flying as fast as he could away from the castle.

"He left his mana all over the place," Gwen assured her as the moat water quickly splashed into the ravine below them. There was a green flash over on the roof, and Ben Tennyson jumped over the side. Wind was billowing under his feet, cushioning his fall as he landed.

"What just happened?" Ben asked timidly as he spied Aquaria smiling at him.

"You had a little divine help," she said. "Not that it did much good."

"Yes it did," Sam said happily. "You scared Albedo shitless. That was so awesome!"

"Aw, your sweet," Aquaria said, blushing. Ben stared, suddenly seeing an incredible resemblance to Carter.

_**Of course you see a resemblance, **_Ventus scoffed in his head. _**Everyone who has a god in his head naturally picks up certain quirks. It happens.**_

_Does your eyebrow twitch when you lie?_

_**Oh, no, that one's all yours. But you did inherit my charisma. Ladies love charisma.**_

…_Thanks, you're so helpful,_ Ben thought caustically as he could as he saw Aquaria head over to Kevin's car.

"I'll fix your friends and you can head over to find Albedo," she said as she opened the car door. Kevin and Evan looked at her and the brunette gave her a cheeky grin.

"My lady Aquaria, how nice of you to drop in," he said in a British accent. Aquaria grinned back and held up a glowing blue hand.

Kevin turned to her, eyes pleading. "Is he gone?" he whispered, sounding like a little boy afraid of the monsters under his bed.

"He's gone, sweetie, don't worry," Aquaria reassured him, sounding like a mother consoling her child after a night terror. Kevin fixed her a smile and leaned back in his seat. Evan scooted over to the healing goddess.

Aquaria grimaced. "Carter patched you up quite nicely, but you're in no condition to fight." She sighed. "The limits you vessels have are quite a pain, you know."

"Such is the price for having ultimate power," Sam said wisely. She and the Tennyson cousins had walked over to the car by then.

Aquaria fixed her a smirk. "So the host of the war goddess speaks of responsibility? Are you sure Kirche isn't telling you to set fire to the castle as we speak?"

"No, she's telling me to plunder it."

"…How tame of her," Aquaria said slowly, unsure of what to say. Gwen stared at the two of them and said:

"Can someone explain to me what you two are talking about?"

"Oh, Sam's the vessel of Kirche, the fire and war goddess, and Carter's the vessel of Aquaria, the water goddess," Ben quickly explained. "She's also the unofficial mother of the gods."

"Unofficial?" Gwen raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't have them the normal way," Aquaria said as she continued to heal Evan. "I used wishful thinking. That's using magic to create life from your imagination," she quickly explained when Gwen gave her a bewildered look.

"Yeah, she and Ventus had a lot of brain babies together," Evan jeered from the car.

"Wait, _what_?" Gwen was staring at Ben with a look of utter confusion etched on her face.

Ben tugged at the collar of his shirt and stared at the night sky. "Ventus and Aquaria are technically married."

_**Not technically, we ARE married, **_Ventus roared in his head.

"So the reason why Carter is dating you…" The outrage Gwen was feeling was rolling of her in waves. All that talk of Carter wanting to honestly date Ben was a ruse, a lie to fulfill some warped role in mythology. When Carter reverted back into her normal form…

"That has very little to do with that," Aquaria said solemnly. "Yes, you two have a role to play, but no ever said you had to fulfill it."

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked through clenched teeth.

"She means Ben can date and marry whoever he wants," Sam explained. "Yes, the Slayers would like him and Carter to marry, but if neither of you want to, you don't have to."

"They won't be happy about it, but they have the next cycle of vessels to look forward to," Aquaria said. "So right now the two of them can be loving boyfriend and girlfriend for as long as they want."

As Aquaria finished healing Evan, Gwen pulled Ben to the side and hissed, "Are you really okay with this?"

"Ventus once said that I can date whoever I wanted," Ben said quietly. "I think he was talking about this. And Carter's not the type of person who'd let some warped destiny control her life."

Gwen was startled by her cousin's changed demeanor. It was only a few minutes, but already he seemed to have aged twenty years. His eyes were serious and the cocky smirk on his face was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a grim line.

A flash of white light from the car and Carter was slumped over Evan in the backseat, completely unconscious. Evan was smiling and maneuvering the girl off him. Kevin was happily in the driver's seat, and Sam had the door of the passenger side open. She stood there staring at the two of them.

"Gwen, I know you're mad at Carter, but there's a lot more to this than you think," Ben said quickly. "You know Carter. She may follow Cordelia's orders, but there's no way she'd just throw herself at some guy just because destiny told her to."

Gwen had to admit that that didn't sound like Carter at all. "Okay," she said finally. "I'll talk to her, see what she thinks of all this. But I swear to God, Ben, if I find out the only reason she's dating you is because of all this god crap, I'll kill her."

"No you won't."

"…Yeah, your right. But I can still send her to the hospital."

* * *

><p>"You are not driving my car!"<p>

"But I'm all better!"

"YOU ARE NOT DRIVING MY CAR!"

"Shut up!" Sam shouted as Carter continued to sleep against the window. The two boys immediately fell silent, Evan sheepish, Kevin shooting daggers out of his eyes. Both of them were outside while the rest were in the car, watching someone fight over the right to drive Kevin's car. It was one for the history books.

"The last time I let you drive my car you put a dent in it!" Kevin accused.

"For the last time, it wasn't me! Some kid threw a football at your car door and dented it," Evan pleaded exasperatedly.

"How can a kid put a dent in metal with a football?"

"A kid taking steroids. Now shut up and hand me the keys!"

"NO!"

"What did I tell you?" Sam yelled at them. Again, the boys fell silent.

"Kevin, are you sure you're okay?" Gwen asked worriedly from the back seat. "I mean, you were nervous wreck just a few minutes ago."

"That Aquaria lady fixed me up." Kevin shoved Evan into the back seat next to Gwen and slammed the door on him. "I'm driving my car. _Got it?"_

"Yeah, yeah," Evan grumbled as he put his seatbelt on. As Kevin started the car and drove out of there, Gwen used her mana powers to track Albedo down.

"So, Ben, how's it feel to have an evil twin after you?" Sam asked, trying to make conversation.

"Like I'm in a really bad action flick," Ben remarked sullenly. "And instead of studying for my physics test, I'm stuck chasing after some crazy guy who wants the Omnitrix. _Again. _We wouldn't be in this mess at all if all of you just listened to me before."

"Actually, everyone except Gwen believed you," Evan pointed out. Gwen gave a cry of shock and punched him in the arm as hard as she could.

He gave a cry of pain and said, "It's true! I knew the truth, Sam and Carter knew but had to gather evidence, and Kevin thought the Omnitrix was controlling Ben! Stop hurting me!" he added as he began to cry.

"I shun you!" Gwen snapped at him, crossing her arms and turning her back on him.

"He's technically right," Sam said dryly.

"Thanks, cuz," Ben said caustically. "Thanks a lot."

Gwen glared at him and returned to her mana tracking. "Who knows what damage Albedo could be doing-turn here!" Kevin banked a sharp left and turned into the parking lot of a computer factory. People were spilling out of it, screaming bloody murder as they ran away from the monster inside.

"You guys go on ahead," Evan said. "I'll stay here and watch over Carter."

"Yeah, we don't want another Ben look alike running around," Kevin stated as he stopped the car in front of the store.

"More like you don't want to cry uncontrollably because of Ben Two and Three," Evan said.

"I DIDN'T CRY!"

"No, you were just sweating out of your eyeballs." For a minute it seemed like Carter had resurfaced from the land of sleep. But no, it was just Evan trying to fill the void she left. It fell flat.

Kevin was about to throttle him when Sam roughly pulled him out of the car. "Behave yourself!" she ordered Evan.

"What are you, my mother?" he sneered.

She blinked. "Oh god, is this was Carter feels like? Glad I'm not her."

"Albedo. Factory. Wrecking havoc," Gwen said tersely.

"We should go," Ben said, running into the factory. The others followed suit, leaving Evan with a snoozing Carter propped up against the window.

The inside of the building was surprisingly clean despite the recent alien invasion. It was expansive with two assembly lines in the main room. One of the assembly lines was trashed, the end of it broken into bits. Boxes were stacked up against the walls and littered the ground, and quite a few scrap pieces of cardboard were strewn across the floor.

Gwen held up the rock with Albedo's mana and forced it to float in the air. It glowed pink before she winced and let it drop to the floor.

"Too many machines, not enough living things," she explained. "I can't track Albedo in here."

"We'll split up and surround him," Ben decided.

"How are we going to know which ones the real you?" Sam asked.

Kevin turned to the white board next to him and picked up a dry erase marker. He grabbed Ben's face and quickly drew an X on his cheek. Ben slapped his hand away.

"Hey!"

"We'll call you Ben X," Kevin joked. Ben glared at him and quickly wiped it away with his jacket sleeve. With that signal everyone split up, Kevin and Gwen going down a dark hallway, Ben into the maze of stacked boxes. Only Sam stayed behind in the assembly room.

She quickly picked up the rock Gwen used to track Albedo here. She had an inkling of how she could find him faster, despite the technology in the room. She went over to the broken assembly line and set the rock there.

Once, back when Sam was twelve, Evan had been having trouble using the earth to track people down. Given the fact that he was in a computer lab at the time, he deduced, "Too many machines, not enough earth." Sam had mulled it over in her head and responded:

"But aren't the computers technically a part of the earth?" When Evan gave her a confused look, she elaborated. "The machines are made with metal, which came from the earth. They've been purified and changed into something other than earth, but their origin is the same." He looked at her strangely again, and then beamed at her.

And with that simple explanation he had created a loophole in the tracking system. All you had to do was ignore the bastardized, human part of the machine and focus on the small, unchanged metals. It was difficult at first, but Evan had perfected it over the years. He naturally taught Sam and Carter how to do it as well, but he was the only one who could do it easily.

With her eyes glowing red, Sam cradled the stone in her hands and focused. She could see the outline of the building around her, a black image with white stencil designs. Red energy was flowing out of the rock, but it stopped and was spreading upward like the inside of a lava lamp.

Sam quickly refocused her energy and tried to ignore the manmade machines surrounding her. She could feel it, the earth around her. It was in miniscule pieces, but all the same it comforted her like a warm blanket. It gave the illusion of safety despite the circumstances.

And then Sam could feel _him_. The irregularity. Albedo was lurking somewhere in the back of the factory, watching them.

Her eyes snapped open, revealing the midnight hues of the factory instead of the white on black stencil design. Didn't Gwen and Kevin go towards the back of the factory? She immediately turned around and ran towards the entrance they went through.

"Sam?" a voice came from the cardboard labyrinth. Ben was walking out of it, a concerned look on his face. "Did you find him?"

"I think so," Sam said breathlessly. "He's in the back…" She cut herself off. _Was_ Albedo in the back? Just moments ago she detected him, but he had an Omnitrix; he could turn into XLR8 or some other alien and move his location. She couldn't find him now if she tried.

Sam narrowed her eyes at the Ben in front of her and put herself in a fighting stance. "How do I know you're really Ben?"

He raised an eyebrow and put two fingers together in front of him. Lightning fizzled in between them, connecting the two and giving off a little light. Ben stopped the current and looked up.

"Okay, I believe you," Sam said, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. And then she remembered where the fake Ben was. "Come on, I think I know where Albedo is." He followed her towards the back of the factory.

"How? Gwen couldn't track him," Ben said as he ran.

"Evan taught me a way of tracking people even with machines in the room," she answered quickly. "It's not perfect, but it tells you…where…" she stopped short, Ben nearly colliding with her. Both of them stared wordlessly as they took in the sight of Ben Tennyson holding a hose in front of Kevin and Gwen, who were stuck to the wall with packing foam.

"Wow. Never thought I'd see you go bad," Sam told Ben. He glared at Albedo.

"Look, Albedo, I'm not giving you my Omnitrix," he said.

"I have all of your powers and a superior intellect," Albedo said snidely. "Surrender if you value your life."

_**Last time I checked, he didn't have all your powers, **_Ventus said in Ben's head. Sam was looking at him pointedly, a mischievous grin on her face. He returned it before Sam launched herself at Albedo.

Albedo hoisted the hose and fired it. Sam barreled through the foam, creating a flame shield around her. The foam blackened and curled up and fell to the ground.

While he was distracted, Ben launched himself into the air and sent ball lightning at Albedo. He looked up in shock before jumping to the side, hose forgotten. The ball lightning hit the ground with a crash, leaving a small, smoking crater. Ben landed on all fours just before it, and then straightened himself.

"Since when could you do _that_?" Kevin asked from the wall.

"Since about a month ago," Ben answered him before turning back to Albedo. He was up against the wall of boxes, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. Ben smirked.

"You got all my powers, huh?" A ball of lightning reappeared in Ben's hand. He held it up. "You really think that now?"

"How…" Albedo trailed off as he stood up.

"You may be smarter than me…"

"Oh, he's definitely smarter than you," Sam said from where Gwen and Kevin were. She was trying to unstuck them from the wall with her fire power.

"Okay, you _are_ smarter than me," Ben corrected himself tersely, "but you'll never have all my powers. Surrender if you value your pride. "

Albedo slammed down on the Omnitrix, turning himself into Humungousaur.

"I guess he doesn't," Kevin remarked smartly.

Ben flung the ball lightning at Humungousaur-God, it was weird attacking himself- and fell backwards as the alien simply dodged the attack. Humungousaur roared and ambled his way towards Ben. He threw a punch down only to have the human dance away from it.

"What is he-" Gwen began only to have Sam shush her. She was nearly done with the packing foam, using her fire power as a laser down between them. It was quite convenient, actually.

Kevin and Gwen watched, enthralled, as they saw Ben leap and weave through the factory as the monster bellowed and threw punches at him. Ben was laughing, a carefree grin on his face as he somersaulted through the air like an acrobat.

"How come I've never seen him like this?" Gwen asked Sam, since she would have all the answers.

"Because he was ordered not to tell anyone," she said as she finished with the foam. "If Azmuth got wind of Ben having powers besides the Omnitrix, he could take it away from him."

"And that'd be bad," Kevin said.

Sam ripped away the last of the foam. "You have no idea." Gwen and Kevin fell to the floor just in time to see Humungousaur get flung all the way to the end of the factory by a wind so strong it should have came from a tornado. Boxes fluttered everywhere and debris fell to the ground as Humungousaur collided with the wall.

Kevin was the first to speak up. "With that kind of power, Ben doesn't need the Omnitrix."

Just then Ben came into view. Blood was gushing out of his nose, his face pale. He was panting and holding his right arm, which hung limply at his side.

"He's not used to using so much power," Sam realized. "He's too used to using the Omnitrix. If this keeps up, he'll need a doctor."

"Ben!" Gwen cried out worriedly.

"I heard!" he called back.

"But how?"

"Airwaves," Ben said like it was obvious.

A green light flashed, and Humungousaur turned back into Albedo. He stood up groggily, cradling the wall as his vision cleared. When he found his voice, he snarled, "I don't know how you got that power, but it is clear you do not deserve the Omnitrix."

"Oh shut up," Ben said, fed up. Wiping his face free of blood, he continued, "I've been using it help people while you've been hurting them. If there's anyone who doesn't deserve the Omnitrix, it's you."

Albedo was instantly on him, throwing a punch right at his face. Ben feinted to the right and heaved a punch of his own. Both arms had the Omnitrix on them.

The watches connected. Green lightning surrounded their wrists as they whirled in place. Ben threw Albedo to the ground.

"What's going on?"

"Their proximity is creating a bio-energy feedback!"

Ben had no idea what that meant, but from the green lightning that was pouring out of both watches, he figured it was bad. Albedo's hair turned from brown to white, his eyes green to blood red. Even his clothing changed; instead of a green jacket and black shirt, he had on a red jacket and white shirt.

"No confusin' those two now," Kevin said gruffly from the sidelines.

"Shouldn't we help him?" Gwen said, reaching for her cousin. Sam held her back.

"And do what? We'll get electrocuted along with him," Sam reasoned. "And even if we don't, we'll mess with the Omnitrix feedback. It's a lose-lose situation."

Albedo and Ben continued to struggle. "You have damaged this form," Albedo snarled. "You will pay!"

Ben punched him in the face. "Tell me how to get these apart!"

"Perhaps if one of us manages to die…"

"Don't tempt me!"

And then the two watches pulled apart, electricity fizzling out of them. Sam ran up to Albedo and kneed him in the stomach. He lurched forward, gasping for breath. She put a hand to his forehead and watched as his eyes rolled back and his body sag.

"What'd you do to him?" Ben asked her.

"Mind wiping," Sam said. "We don't need anyone telling him about the lightning."

A green glow erupted from the ground before Ben, and Azmuth stepped out onto the floor. Strange how someone so small could command so much respect. "Ben, why is the Omnitrix so badly overloaded? Are you trying to blow up the universe again?"

Ben pointed to the slumped Albedo in Sam's arms. Azmuth face palmed. "Well that explains it."

"Explains what?" Gwen asked as she and Kevin neared the Galvan.

"Albedo, my former assistant, built an inferior copy of the Omnitrix," Azmuth explained. "I warned him that there could only be one Omnitrix, and he ignored me."

"Someone's in trouble," Kevin said immaturely.

"Well of course he'd want one," Sam thought out loud. "Who doesn't want all that power? And the fact that a human had it must have really bugged him."

"Yes, and thanks to that mentality he could have doomed us all," Azmuth said solemnly.

Ben and Gwen shared a look. "So the universe really was at stake?" he asked incredulously.

"Albedo only wanted it to restore his original form."

"This human body is unbearable!" Albedo said as he woke up. He shifted in Sam's arms and pushed her aside. He stood shakily on both legs and glared at Azmuth.

"The face is even worse," Kevin quipped at Ben's expense.

"Albedo, through your arrogant act of rebellion, you have proven yourself the lesser being," Azmuth told him seriously. The Galvan leaped onto Albedo's arm and twisted the Omnitrix. The power source popped out of the watch and he grabbed it. He jumped down and said, "You will remain as you are, in a prison of your own making."

"No! You can't!"

"I have."

"I HATE YOU!" Albedo screamed as he slowly teleported out of there, the blue light washing over him.

When he disappeared, Ben walked up to Azmuth. "He won't bother you again," the Galvan reassured him. "From here on out you're on your own."

"But I still have a few questions!" Ben cried. "Like what's the watch really for? And how many aliens can I-"

"Look, kid," Azmuth cut him off tersely. "You alone have made the Omnitrix a force for good, in ways I never conceived. Its better I think to let you create your own way of using it." He jumped up and landed in Ben's outstretched hands.

"No question. For all my concerns, you are the only being worthy to bear it. And I'm not the only one who thinks so."

"Who else?" Ben asked.

"My business," Azmuth told him. "It's a…surprise."

"Now you're just teasing," Kevin said, walking up to the Galvan.

A white light was washing over Azmuth; he was being teleported off of Earth. "There are difficult trials ahead," he said quickly. "Be ready." And then he was gone.

"Difficult trial number one: your physics test," Sam said. "You have three hours until school starts. Hope you still remember everything Evan taught you."

"Crap," Ben groaned loudly.

* * *

><p><em>Like I said, there won't be an Alice in Wonderland parody for a LONG time. And I mean LONG. Like not until Ultimate Alien long. Sorry 'bout that.<em>


	36. In Which Kevin Becomes the Doctor

Chapter 36: In Which Kevin Becomes the Doctor

_I uploaded this chapter a day early because tomorrow is going to be really busy for me and I didn't know if I was going to be able to upload in time. So here you go._

_Not gonna lie, this chapter may be a little boring for you. When I was writing it it started to drag on a bit (even though I was happy with the final product), but then I proofread it and it was interesting again. So I don't know. You've been warned though._

_As for the Alice in Wonderland Parody, like I said, it won't be for a long time. Like not until Ultimate Alien maybe. Just so you know._

_Now, before I end this long Author's Note, I would like to point out that I am not happy with the way the creators depicted Albedo. You'll see what I mean in this chapter._

* * *

><p>Sam found Kevin on her doorstep wearing a Doctor Who-like business suit.<p>

She started, blinked a few times in confusion, and finally just asked, "_Why_?"

He tugged at his shirt collar. "I thought your dad might hate me less."

Sam shrugged. "It's worth a shot." She led him inside her Japanese styled house and into the living room. Said living room was full of reds and browns and oranges like the rest of the house: a red couch and arm chair, an orange rug, wooden flooring and chocolate brown walls. On the oval orange coffee table laid a single laptop.

"You know I've always wondered something," Kevin mused as he surveyed the room.

Sam turned on the laptop. "What's that?"

He gestured to the house. "Do you have an Asian great-grandpa or somethin'? 'Cause the outside looks like something from Japan and you look…" Kevin made a feeble gesture to her flaming red hair.

Sam smiled. "I'm Irish with some Russian from my mother's side. We bought the house from this Japanese physicist."

"He let this crib go?" Kevin gave a low whistle. "What's wrong with it?"

"I think he mentioned it was haunted or something." She scrunched up her face to recall that long ago memory. Kevin looked at her alarmed. Sam eventually just shrugged. "It's probably nothing. Oh, my parents are already online." She gestured for Kevin to sit next to her.

"Ain't you worried about the whole haunted thing?" he asked her anxiously.

Sam gave him a confused look. "Why would I be? I work for Cordelia."

Kevin immediately thought about Cordelia's Medusa-styled hair. "That's a good point."

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. "You ready for this?"

Kevin took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "As I'll ever be."

Sam hit the ACCEPT button on the screen and out popped a video square with her parents. Irene was smiling at her, this time in a brown business suit that matched her hair. Alexander was dressed more comfortably in a red dress shirt and slacks, his kind face unsmiling.

"Hi, mom, hi, dad," Sam said as brightly as she could. She could feel Kevin stiffen beside her.

"Hi, sweetie," her mother greeted back. "So, is this the boy you told us about?"

"Yes, this is Kevin Levin."

"How do you, ma'am," Kevin said nervously, his salesman smile slipping.

"So, tell me, Kevin, what are you doing with your life?" Alexander asked in a casual tone. His face showed the true hostility he was feeling.

"Uh, well, I'm still in high school, sir, so…"

"I just figured that since you're wearing a business suit, you might have some idea of what you wanted as a career." Alexander gave Kevin a snake-like smile as the boy squirmed. His idea, which seemed brilliant before, had quickly backfired in his face.

"I think he's trying to impress us," Irene told her husband. She gave Kevin a smile. "I give him points for trying."

"I'm not saying it wasn't a smart move," Alexander quickly said, "I'm just pointing out that first impressions are important."

"Whatever you say, dear," Irene said with an eye roll. "So how long have you been dating?"

"A few weeks," Sam answered.

"How did you meet?" Irene asked. "I know it was through work, but I want to know details."

Sam and Kevin spared a look at each other. Their minds whirled for a possible lie they could tell the adults, but nothing solid came to mind. Then Kevin blurted out: "We met at a club."

"Yes," Sam cottoned on. "I was going after a guy and he got in the way."

"I did not."

"You got in the way of my escape plan."

"Yeah, and I got a date out of it." Kevin smirked at her. Sam elbowed him and turned back to her parents.

Irene was grinning at Alexander. "That reminds me of how we first met! You were assigned to off my stalker, remember?"

"How could I forget?" he scoffed. "I still can't figure out why you needed my help. You tased the hell out of him."

"Wait, that's not what dad told me," Sam suddenly interjected, confused. "You told me you met mom at an Aerosmith concert, when she flung her-"

"Okay!" Alexander blurted as his wife gave him the evil eye. "What have I told you about divulging top secret information to outsiders?" he said more calmly, eyeing Kevin.

"How is _that_ top secret? You told my friends about it."

Irene plastered on a poisonous smile. "It was so nice speaking to you Kevin, and it was great to see you Sammy. I'm afraid we have to cut this short though. Your father and I have to have a little talk." She glared at Alexander, who was looking terrified. He gulped as Irene cut the connection.

Sam and Kevin looked at each other. "That went better than expected," Sam admitted. "I thought he was going to grill you or something."

"I thought he was trying to burn me through the screen," Kevin confessed, fingering his tie. "So, what _did_ your mom throw at that Aerosmith concert?" he asked as cautiously as he could.

Sam punched his shoulder.

"OW! I was just curious!"

* * *

><p>"Albedo's albino?" Carter's outraged cry echoed through her room. Ben cringed as the smoothie she was holding was crumbled in her fist. Pink frothiness spilled out of the wreckage and onto the floor, but she paid it no mind.<p>

"That was my-"

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Shouldn't we clean-"

"This always happens!" Carter roared. "Almost every time there's a villain, they just _have_ to go with some stereotype. Either he's black, or Italian, or Russian, or, in this case, albino! Freaking albino! As if they haven't been tortured enough." She quickly got out her phone and typed out a message with one hand, since the other was still covered in strawberry banana smoothie.

Ben noticed this, but curiosity got the better of him. "What do you mean, tortured?"

"Haven't you heard of the African witch hunts?" Ben shook his head. "It's been happening for years. Hell, the last one was just a few years ago. In east Africa, albinos supposedly have magical powers, so they were chopped to pieces so witch doctors can use their bodies in potions."

Ben blinked the horror and disgust mixing in with his disbelief. "You're kidding."

The door opened and a maid came in with a mop and a bucket. As she began to clean up the mess, Carter continued: "I wish I wasn't. And it's just as bad here. Albinos easily get sunburned, so they tend to wear a lot of clothing, even in summer. Their eyes can't handle the sun's UV rays very well, so they often wear sunglasses outside."

"And I guess people call them vampires," Ben added solemnly.

The maid quickly cleaned up Carter's hand. "In olden times, people were genuinely afraid of vampires, and since they fear the sun, people thought albinos were vampires or the reincarnation of Death or something. Hollywood picked up on that and helped propel the 'evil albino' stereotype. You can find them in almost any movie."

As the maid left the now spotless room, Ben thought of one such film. "_The Da Vinci Code_!"

Carter nodded. "The assassin is albino, which makes no sense because an albino won't make a good assassin. They have too many eye problems for such a delicate job. And they're almost always portrayed as evil," she moaned as she fell on the couch exhausted.

Ben sat right next to her. "But Albedo _is_ evil," he pointed out, his brow furrowed.

Carter weakly shook her head. "You said it yourself; Albedo only wanted his original body back. Yes, he did commit murder and other crimes, but his goal wasn't evil."

"But the universe was in danger of being ripped apart."

"I never said Albedo wasn't selfish. I'm just saying he's not as evil as you make him out to be."

"But you admit he's evil," Ben said triumphantly.

"No, I'm saying that just because he's albino doesn't make him totally evil. He's probably just as human as you and I."

"But we're not totally human."

Carter was about to argue some more, but then she puffed out her cheeks and slowly exhaled. Her body sagged in its sitting position, exhaustion rolling off her in waves. "I'm too tired to argue with you, Tennyson."

"Why are you so tired?" he asked. "The takeover shouldn't have made you this exhausted."

"I'm tired from my rant," she said. She peered over at him. "Give me some good news."

"I got a C-plus on my physics test," Ben said triumphantly, puffing out his chest like a proud rooster.

Carter raised an eyebrow. "A C-plus? You?"

"Yes, me."

"That _is_ good news," Carter said, leaning over and pecking his nose. "Congrats."

"I know," he said giddily. "Now my parents can't ground me."

"And…" Carter made a circle motion with her hand that clearly meant 'get on with it.'

"And…what?" Ben asked, confused. His eyebrows crinkled for a moment, and then he lit up. "And more time fighting aliens!" He looked at her expectantly.

Carter stared at him for a good, long minute before sighing deeply. She reached out for the TV remote on the coffee table and turned on the plasma screen. She quickly switched to a martial arts channel and turned up the volume.

"What, we're watching TV now?" Ben asked, searching Carter's blank face. She looked at him through narrowed eyes and glared. "_What?_"

"And more time for me!" she said over the noise, her voice layered with outrage. Ben jerked back in fright, breathing heavily as white puffy clouds erupted from his mouth. Ice was covering the floor and frost clung to Ben's shoulders.

He gave a weak chuckle. "Cold shoulder," he said, pointing to the ice. Carter glared daggers at him and he immediately dropped the charade.

"God, I'm stupid," Ben said before putting his lips to hers. Immediately the temperature in the room heated up as the snow evaporated. The frost on his shoulders turned to liquid and the wet cloth clung to his skin.

Ben let go and was surprised to see the slightly glazed over look in Carter's eye. She was always clear sighted, her eyes sharp but warm. Now they were cloudy, her eyelids heavy and creating half-moons.

And then she opened her mouth: "Does it always take you so long to get a hint?" The causticity in her voice melted the clouds. Her eyes sparked with sardonic wit as her mouth curved into a familiar smirk. It was so familiar, so strangely endearing, that Ben wondered why he was the only one to enjoy it.

_I swear to God Ben, if I find out she's only dating you because of all this god crap…_

His stomach dropped and his shoulders drooped. He let go of her, his hands falling to his knees. His damp shoulders ached when she put a hand there.

Carter quickly drew out the water from his shoulders and created a little ball out of it. "Something wrong, Tennyson?"

"Why are you dating me?"

She stopped playing with the water ball and fixed him a piercing gaze. She eyed Ben's stooped demeanor, the taut shoulders, and his wide eyes staring back at her. Carter wasn't much of a liar; she could easily fool someone with her acting, but she played on half truths. If she couldn't tell you something, she said, "I can't tell you that." She didn't bother with hiding anything, since brutal honesty could easily get the results she needed.

But she knew that such thinking wouldn't work on Ben, so Carter said, "Because I had a crush on you back when we were ten."

Ben blinked, his fearful demeanor giving way to a pleasantly surprised one. He smiled slightly as he said, "Really?"

Carter rolled the water ball in her hand before absorbing it into her skin. "Well, it wasn't as first. I thought you were kind of a jerk," she added, making Ben lose his smile. "But you grew on me and then I had a crush." That perked him back up.

Elation was coursing through him, the high in his brain reaching the sky. He didn't want to say it-he didn't want to ruin this moment-he _had_ to know-

"You're not dating me just because I'm Ventus's host, then?"

Carter fixed him a serious gaze and declared, "I don't give two shits what others think of us, Ben. I'm dating you because I want to, not because someone told me to. Get that through your cousin's head, will you?"

He started. "How do you know?"

"Aquaria has hearing like a bat."

"Just like my mom."

"You know it," Carter said as she finally turned down the TV volume. For a second her boot vibrated and she quickly got out her black cell phone.

"I still don't know how you fit your cell phone in there," Ben said, gesturing to her boots. Carter opened the text and gave a little chuckle. "What?"

She gave him her phone and Ben's eyes went huge. The text showed a picture of Kevin in a tasteful brown business suit. He was posing, one hand leisurely on his hip with the other slightly loosening the tie. One eye was closed in a sultry wink, and he had his winning salesman smile aimed at the camera.

"Oh my God," Ben choked out.

"I know! The picture quality is _amazing_," Carter said dramatically. She grinned at the face he made before scrolling down to see the written part of the text: _I like this Doctor Who, if you know what I mean. ;)_

Carter snorted and typed back: _Please keep your comments to yourself. Or at least off my phone._

_Poo on you! Also, Evan wants you to bring Ben to DJ's studio._

"Who's DJ?" Ben asked, peering over Carter's shoulder. She turned her face to his so that their noses were just touching.

"One of Evan's friends. I think Gwen modeled for him."

"Gwen modeled for someone?" Ben asked, surprised. "He's a photographer?"

"And a painter, and a DJ…"

"…DJ the DJ?" Ben wondered out loud, fixing Carter a very confused look. Carter held up her hands in surrender.

"Yes, we think his parents hated him," she said. "But apparently he needs you for something."

"Sure, I'll go, but after you buy me another smoothie."

"What happened to your-_oh_. I'll buy you another one."

Ben kissed her cheek. "Thank you."

* * *

><p>"Haven't been here for a while," Gwen mused as she and Evan walked through DJ's house, this time without little Brittany. "I hope he's not mad that I didn't call him back."<p>

"To be honest, I don't think he noticed," Evan confessed sheepishly. "DJ can be a little scatterbrained sometimes, especially when he's on a new project."

"What's his new project?"

"I have no idea. He's going to show it to me now." Evan walked through the open art studio door to see DJ, once again in front of a canvas, his blue flannel shirt opened to reveal a black t-shirt. His jeans were once again covered in paint marks, though his blue tennis shoes remained unscathed.

"Hey, Dee-jay!" Evan shouted knocking DJ out of his concentration. The boy with cinnamon-colored skin smiled and yelled back, "Hey, Ev-ay! Hey, Gwe-nay!"

"Oh, God, I'm a part of this too?" Gwen murmured to herself as DJ wrapped her and Evan in a bear hug. He let go and said:

"That's right. Get used to it."

"You got something to show us, D?" Evan said, gesturing to the covered canvases in the corner of the room.

"I wanted your input before I hung them up," DJ told Gwen as he led them to the corner. "I think you'll like them though."

Gwen was curious as to why a great artist like DJ needed her thoughts on a painting, but she soon realized why when he pulled away the white sheet.

The paintings were all Gwen. The first was of her in a gigantic white frilly dress, something a little girl would wear at a party. Ribbons cascaded around the skirt like a wedding cake, the hem dotted with baby pink roses. The bodice had big pink bows all over it and the sleeves were short and puffy. But the strangest thing was that the Gwen in the painting was ripping her dress apart, revealing thin womanly legs and a hint of large breast. The expression on her face was of one of intense hatred, her teeth bared as she clawed off the girlish ribbons from her body.

"You even got the freckles right on that one," Evan remarked to DJ. Gwen took another look at the painting and indeed saw that through the angry exterior, childish freckles were showing though.

Tearing her gaze away, Gwen focused on the second one. This one came as a relief. It was simple: Gwen was in her normal blue sweater and pencil skirt, a happy smile playing on her face. She had her back to the audience, but she had twisted her hips so that her hair swirled around her as she faced the front. She was holding her hand out to the person in front of the painting, as if asking them to hold her hand.

"I like this one," Gwen said as she appreciated the second painting's simplicity. There were indeed no special effects to it. It was simply a painting of her as she normally looked against a bright backdrop.

Her sense of relief faded to amazement as Gwen stared at the final painting. It depicted a purple night sky with pink stars. A luminous silver half-moon hung in it with Gwen sitting in its crook. The Gwen in the painting was magenta-her hair, her clothes, her skin- and was a nice contrast to the other colors in the painting. Her feet were hanging over the edge of the moon and one hand was reaching out to touch a pink star.

Gwen put a hand to her mouth as tears pricked at her eyes. She closed them, trying to stifle the sense of complete joy from over taking her. She eyed DJ, who was looking at her expectantly.

"No one has ever done this for me," she croaked, putting down her hands. "This is…unbelievable."

"I'm taking that as a good thing," DJ said contentedly. "So, if I had an art show, which one would you want me to use?"

Swallowing her elated tears, Gwen pointed to the moon painting. "That one. Definitely that one."

"And I'll keep this!" Evan held up the painting of Gwen ripping her own clothes off and held it under his arm.

"Dude!" DJ leered.

"Evan!" Gwen cried in outrage. Evan put the painting down and held up his hands in mock surrender.

"DJ, you have more guests," Brittany said as she walked into the studio. She was followed by the rest of the gang, the boy part of it ogling the studio. The girls immediately shouted, "Hey, Dee-jay!" and went over to hug the artist.

"Hey, la-dees!" DJ shouted as the three embraced. "How are my favorite models doing?"

"You modeled for this guy?" Kevin asked Sam as she let go of her friends.

"Plenty of times," she answered back.

"Oh, my God, you're wearing a suit," Gwen piped up, seeing it for the first time. "You look good."

"Permission to study your boyfriend, ma'am?" DJ asked Sam seriously.

"Permission granted," she said just as seriously. He immediately went up to Kevin and studied him from head to foot. Kevin just stood there uncomfortably. He sent a beseeching look to Sam, who held up a finger asking him to wait.

"Okay, I got an idea for a picture," DJ finally announced. "Gentleman, I need you to change into t-shirts with superhero logos on them and put jackets over them. Evan will show you wear to find them. I need to go get my camera." With that he walked out of the room.

"What…?" Ben asked Carter. She gave him a sly smile.

* * *

><p>DJ's backyard was simple: a white picket fence, a well-kept green lawn, a patch of flowers hidden in the corner, and a large tree tucked into the back. Kevin, Ben, and Evan were standing in the middle of the lawn, the girls milling around them.<p>

After setting up the camera, DJ ordered, "Kevin, get in the middle of Ben and Evan there. Unzip your jackets but keep them closed. Ladies walk up behind them." When they all did just that, he said, "Guys, stand a little apart-just an inch! Now put your hands in your pockets and try to look relaxed."

Easier said than done, though Evan seemed capable of doing so. His jacket was a strange item; it was clearly old leather, soft to the touch, but it was dyed an acidic green color. Big, bulky belt buckles were strapped onto the arms. On closer inspection, you could see that the arms had been cut straight across to create straps. The belt buckles had been strategically glued onto the straps to make them seem like they had been buckled in.

"Relax, gentlemen," DJ told them. "Roll your shoulders back and try to look cool. Like Evan." Ben and Kevin turned to the boy on Kevin's left. He indeed looked cool. His hands were in his jeans pockets, his shoulders rolled back. He was slouching slightly, and his smile was easygoing without being too carefree.

"I don't think I can pull that off," Kevin said gruffly, crossing his arms.

"Then smirk. It suits you," DJ told him dismissively. Kevin frowned. "Ben, try to look a little less constipated, you're ruining the picture." Ben cringed when he heard the immature giggling surrounding him.

"Okay, people, let's make this work," DJ called out. "Okay, okay, that's perfect! Keep still! Ladies, rip their jackets open from behind."

The girls immediately snaked their arms around the boys and pulled open their jackets. DJ snapped the picture, creating a blinding flash of light that left squiggly lines in the boys' eyes. He then pulled them all over to see the final product.

There was Evan with his at-ease posture, grinning as Gwen revealed his t-shirt with the Green Lantern symbol on it. In the middle, Kevin was smirking evilly, a contrast to the Batman symbol stretched over his chest. And finally there was Ben, who was smiling sheepishly as his jacket revealed the Superman emblem hidden in the folds.

"Awesome picture is awesome," Kevin stated solemnly, much to the agreement of the others.

"How'd you come up with this?" Ben asked DJ.

"Got it from Sam's little brother, though he mentioned that he saw it at a wedding," he revealed. Ben and Gwen looked at Sam in confusion.

"You have a brother?" Gwen asked her.

"Yeah, but you'll probably never meet him," Sam confessed.

"I sure haven't," Kevin snorted.

"Why's that?" Ben asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He doesn't hang around the house much."

"I wonder why," DJ remarked in an ominous tone.

* * *

><p><strong>Inside the house<strong>

Kevin gave a low whistle as he surveyed DJ's Hall of Artwork. "This is awesome, man."

"It should be," DJ said. "A lot of them won me awards and funding for art programs in need."

"That's so awesome," Gwen remarked giddily.

Kevin turned back to another portrait, this one of Sam. She looked younger, wearing an oversized red sweater on her thin frame. She had her arms wrapped around a ghostly thirteen year old boy. He was obviously related to her; the flaming red hair proved it.

"Is this your little brother?" Kevin asked Sam curiously. She took one longing look at the boy and tore her gaze away.

"No," she said curtly. Kevin frowned.

"Then who is it?"

"Todd. My older brother."

"Why is he see-through?"

"Think about it…"

"…Oh. _Oh_." Kevin looked horrified, from the apparent death or from his tactlessness, no one knew. Gwen sucked in a breath and Ben put a consoling hand on Sam's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he said, meaning it.

"I'm sorry you found out," she said, walking away to Evan and Carter. She then brightened and said, "Hey guys, look at this!" The other three looked at each other, confused on how to proceed. Ben then shrugged his shoulders and led the way over to the others.

It was a portrait, a black and white picture depicting an autumn day. Leaves were piled on the blacktop, possibly from the row of trees in the background. Evan was happily sitting in a leaf pile, the scattered remains of the little hill all over him and flying up into the air. Carter was kneeling down to pick out a few leaves from his ponytail while Sam was laughing uproariously at Evan's silly expression.

"That was a good day," Carter remarked. Sam and Evan nodded in agreement.

DJ tapped Ben on the shoulder and led him away from the group. "I've got something I think you'll enjoy." Ben looked back at the chattering crowd before heading for the portrait in the back of the hall.

Ben's eyes bugged out and he tried to stifle the sound coming out of his throat. This picture was in full color, though the amount of black Carter was wearing suggested otherwise. She was sitting, leaning against a bed, right next to a bedside table. She was wearing a simple black dress, the neck up to her collarbone and with long, flowing sleeves. The skirt was knee-length, and matching black pumps were added in the picture, but Carter had kicked them off. One leg was stretched across the floor, the other brought up so her knee was at chest level. She gave off the appearance of exhaustion, but the soft smirk on her face and the carnal light in her eye suggested otherwise.

DJ took one look at Ben's face and said, "When's your birthday, Tennyson?"

* * *

><p><em>One of the things I like about Omniverse is that the artists' gave Gwen freckles. I just can't get over how cute she looks. XD<em>

_And yes, there is a wedding picture where all the guys in tuxes have their shirts opened by their dates to reveal the superhero logo underneath. You can find it on the Internet if you're interested._


	37. The Tar Pits from Hell

Chapter 37: The Tar Pits from Hell

_I hate shameless plugging, but this time I feel it's necessary. I don't know if you've noticed, but a while ago I put up a oneshot called Faces. __It's__ basically a hypothetical situation of Ester before she met Ben. I wrote the story in present tense, which is something I've never done before. I would really like to know how I did, so if you guys could leave a review, that'd really make my day._

_Also, here's something that I should tell you about: you know that demon spawn SOPA from a few years ago? I hear it's back in an all new bill. If it passes, then not only will YouTube be taken down, numerous other sites will be shut down, including FanFiction dot net. Which means no freedom of expression whatsoever. If you're old enough, vote against this bill. If not, tell someone who is and in the meantime, protest against SOPA. We need all the help we can get. _

**_Warning:_**_ The end of this chapter is scary. When I was writing it, I was chilled to the bone and I further questioned my sanity. Do not read the end of this chapter in a dark room. If you must, I suggest holding something soft and cuddly, like a stuffed animal or a puppy. _

_Now, on with the show!_

* * *

><p>Ben cursed the existence of tests with every fiber of his being. It was bad enough that he barely survived his most recent physics test-<em>no<em>, his history teacher had to create a last minute test. Like Ben didn't have enough on his plate already.

_**Whoa, simmer down boy, **_Ventus joked in Ben's head. _**Getting all huffy while riding a bike in the middle of a street won't do you any good.**_

_I am not huffy! _Ben snapped immaturely, coasting on his bike. In truth Ben was on the road the city built for bikers. He was heading home from the library on his old bike because he didn't trust Kevin to give him a ride.

_**Or he's busy with his girlfriend. That's always an option.**_

…_I really didn't need to think about that._

_**Blah, blah, blah. You got your history book right?**_

_Right in my backpack, dad-_

"_WHAT THE HELL?" _Ben shrieked as a car nearly collided with him. He feinted to the side, his shin nearly touching the passenger door of the brown vehicle before it swerved past him. Ben stopped his bike trying to calm his racing heart. He glared at the car, muttering under his breath, "Student drivers."

And then he saw said car smash into a parked car down the road. He knew then something was up.

Ben immediately abandoned his bike against a light post and threw off his helmet and backpack. Before he could activate the Omnitrix though, Ventus hissed, _**Wait, Ben!**_

_Hello? There's a menace on the road! I gotta stop it!_

_**There's something wrong with the-**_

Silence. Something had cut off the almighty wind god.

_Ventus, you okay?_ Ben probed his mind. _What's going on?_

Another crash could be heard on the other side of the road. The car had driven out of view but its path of destruction was evident. Dismissing his concern for a later date, Ben quickly turned into Big Chill and was off to save the day.

For a second he felt all right, flying through the air on his butterfly wings. And then the creeping sense of wrongness swept over him; something was off with Big Chill, Ben realized, but he didn't know what. Everything was in working order: Ben was still in control of the alien's mind, his limbs were attached to his body and moved, and his alien powers still worked fine. So _what was wrong_?

No time to dwell on that. Big Chill flew as fast as he could towards the beat up car, which had driven onto a highway. It was right behind a truck and for whatever reason the person driving was speeding up. And then just as suddenly the driver hit the side of the freeway, crashing into the metal rails. The old rails split apart and the car plunged toward the murky water below.

Big Chill dived into the black water just before the car hit it. He swam upwards, bursting out of the water like a shot. Ice trailed after him, climbing upward until it reached the broken side of the highway. The ice was a flat slide leading down, down to frozen island below.

The brown car was falling, the front tipped downward towards the slide. The male youths inside screamed once more as the moth alien nearly crashed into them. But then it disappeared right before their very eyes. Vaguely they could feel a cold draft go between them, and they screamed once more out of fright.

The car hit the ice slide with a skid, sliding down towards the island. Big Chill rematerialized himself and grabbed onto the mud flap, his heels against the ice. Using his immense strength he slowed the descent, straining against the large weight of the car as it slowed to a stop.

His job done, Big Chill just stood there as the youths got out. They were teenagers, frightened out of their minds over the sheer fact that they almost _died_. But for just one moment they stared at awe at the creature before them, not out of fear, but with respect.

Once again the feeling of wrongness washed over Ben. For a second he couldn't place it, about to push it aside again. But then he felt something gnaw at his conscious, a primal noise taking over his human mind. Ben rummaged around trying to place it. The noise got louder, louder, louder...

"What is that thing?" the driver asked his friend.

"Who cares? It saved us!"

Ben was being pulled away- claws were severing him in half, ripping him apart and breaking his bones- the guttural noise echoed through his ears as he was plunged headfirst into a tar-like darkness-

One of the boys went up to him and said, "Thank you."

Ben was pawing his way out of the tar-fingers grabbing air-he was screaming-something latched onto his foot-face below surface-

"How can we ever thank you?"

* * *

><p>Evan bolted awake in his chair, the musty smell of Ben's garage hitting his nostrils tenfold. He could hear Kevin underneath his car, fine tuning it. Sam was next to him, a history textbook in her lap. She and Ben had a history test soon, which explained why the girl was studying it. Ben was in the bathroom adjacent to the garage, and Carter was picking up her cousin for…something.<p>

"You okay?" Sam whispered to him, her eyes flickering over to him with concern before moving back to the text in front of her.

"I…I don't know," Evan admitted quietly. A deep sense of foreboding filled his head. Shadows were licking at the edges of his brain. Darkness was permeating through the sunny afternoon.

_**We have a problem, **_Erda said in Evan's head. _**There's some sort of problem with the Omnitrix. Last night Ventus was temporarily cut off from communicating with Ben. He believes some sort of power surge severed their link. He's trying to repair it now.**_

"We have a problem," Evan whispered grimly. Sam gave a small nod, having heard from her respective goddess. Ben then walked into the garage and said jovially:

"I will never stress enough the importance of flossing."

Kevin got out from under his car and fixed Ben a glare. Evan gave him a confused look. Sam blinked at him before resuming her reading.

Ben held up a chewed up piece of metal. "I found this in my teeth. I think there's something wrong with my powers."

"Uh-huh," Kevin hummed before going back under the car.

Evan stood up and held out a hand. "Let me see." Ben handed it to him as his eyes glowed green. For a second Evan held the metal in his fingers and then his eyes returned to normal. "This came from a car," he concluded.

"Hey, Kevin, did Ben recently take a bite out of your ride?" Sam called out to her boyfriend, eyes never leaving her textbook.

"No!"

"So where'd it come from, Ben?" Sam asked him.

"That's just it; I don't remember," he confessed. "All I remember is Ventus cutting me off and having to use my Omnitrix."

"That god guy cut you off?" Kevin asked from underneath his car. "What, did you make fun of him and he hung up on you?"

"Actually, no," Evan said. "Last night something severed the link Ben had with Ventus. He was forced to go to the astral plane and try to repair the damage."

"What's the astral plane?" Kevin's voice rang out.

"It's where the Slayer gods go when they get bored of bugging us," Sam answered back.

"But I thought Ventus was a part of me," Ben said. "Like, he could never totally leave my head."

"He's a god; he can probably split himself up into fragments or something. Anyway, this is a lot like when you first got the Omnitrix," Evan explained. "Ventus couldn't contact you because the Omnitrix was blocking him. He thinks there was a surge of power that temporarily severed your mental connection."

"But he'll be back right?"

"What, do you miss him or something?" Sam deadpanned.

"No!" Ben protested. "It's just weird not having him bugging me all the time."

"Fibber," Kevin cracked.

"Shut up!"

* * *

><p>"Carter I have a problem," Ben whined through her phone. Carter pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation before exhaling through her mouth. Newt eyed her curiously leaning on the couch's seat to hear more.<p>

"Ben, if you have a problem, do _not_ use that tone of voice," she said bluntly. "Next time I'll hang up."

"Okay," he mumbled. Carter could picture him on the other line, a childish pout taking over his features. She softened a little at the mental image.

"I know already," she said more civil-like. "There was a power surge in the Omnitrix and it cut off your connection with Ventus. He's fixing it right now, don't worry."

"It's not just that," Ben said seriously. "A few minutes ago I found a piece of steel stuck in my teeth. I think there's something wrong with my powers."

Carter blinked in surprise. If something like that happened, Ventus would surely know about it. He was always there for Ben…except last night, when the connection was destroyed. Carter said into her phone, "That sounds serious. What do you want to do about it?"

"I don't know, maybe do an experiment?"

"Sounds like something Evan would come up with."

"Yeah, well, he's too preoccupied with some girl to care!" Ben had shouted that last part out. Most likely Evan was nearby and texting said girl at this very moment.

Carter raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What number is she?"

"What do you mean?"

"Evan's been texting around ten different girls the last few months," Carter explained. "I have the sneaking suspicion he wants to put himself back on the market."

"Why does he need ten girls for that?"

"…I don't know. Because he's Evan?" she said weakly. She mentally shook her head. "How about Sam? Does she have any ideas?"

"No, she said you and Evan were the idea people."

"True. And I think she's got a date with Kevin or something. And Newt's taking Gwen to the spring formal…" Newt light up a bit at that.

"Newt's taking Gwen to the dance?" Ben parroted, surprise coloring his voice.

"Yeah, he came to visit a few days early to prepare and everything," Carter said happily, since she got to monopolize her cousin for a bit.

"No one told me," Ben admitted sheepishly.

"I didn't know about it until just last night," Carter told him in a reassuring tone. "Anyway, I'll help you with your Omnitrix problem."

"You will?" Ben said happily. "Thanks! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to ask Evan why he has so many girls on the backburner." He hung up, leaving Carter to entertain Newt. Not that she was complaining or anything.

"So, tell me again how you convinced your parents to let you come here during a school week," Carter told her cousin, leaning against her couch.

"Well, I had this long speech planned out about how you were in trouble and desperately needed emotional support from me," Newt began. "But then the art department accidently burned down a good chunk of my school, so classes were called off for the rest of the week. So I tweaked my speech and said that I needed emotional support from you. They bought it hook, line, and sinker."

Instead of congratulating Newt like she usually did, Carter blurted out, "The art department burned down your school?"

"Only a small chunk," Newt explained quickly. "It was only the gymnasium and a few of the surrounding classrooms. But since it's Washington D.C. and all the kids have politicians for parents, the school decided to let everyone off for a week so the kids could get all the 'therapy' they deserve." Newt had curled his fingers to imitate commas around the word 'therapy' and now he shook his head in mild disgust. "More like they'll take apart their mommies wine coolers and drown their daddies Mercedes into the pool."

"Harsh," Carter told her hypercritical cousin before taking out her phone.

"Who're you calling?" Newt inquired politely.

"Sam owes me a few favors."

* * *

><p><em>At night, we'll meet up somewhere not too far from human population. You turn into an alien, and I'll keep a log of everything you do. That way, once you read it afterwards, you'll know what's going on.<em>

Carter's idea was pretty sound on the phone, but on the flight over to the rendezvous point, Ben was having some serious doubts. They were going to be close to humans-what if he hurt them? Carter was going to be nearby-what if he hurt her? Ben wished he could go to Ventus for advice, but the god was still offline.

It was strange; after all this time, after Ventus used every possible means to annoy Ben, he missed him. It was disconcerting, not having him around to talk when he desperately needed it. He was so used to calling out to him and him answering that the separation made his heart ache. Every time Ben tried to now, it was like grasping for the ghost of a loved one.

Ben descended onto the parking lot, his green and blue wings flapping quietly in the air. Landing softly his mismatched wings folded into his back and disappeared. He then slipped his jacket back on and waited for Carter to appear.

The sound of a motorcycle running filled the air. For some reason it was coming closer, the engine roaring and the headlight blinding Ben's eyes as it entered the parking lot. The motorcycle circled around him, the engine turning into a purr before shutting off completely.

The motorcycle was an old Harley-Davidson, a red creature that despite its age had been well taken care of. The rider was wearing combat boots, jeans, a thin black Linkin Park t-shirt and a thin red jacket with a black 'X' on the heart. The rider took off her red motorcycle helmet and shook her black hair out of her face.

Carter smirked at Ben's stupefied expression. "Got something to say, Tennyson?"

Ben opened his mouth and said, "That…is _hot_."

Carter's smirk grew wider. "You can tell Sam that. I borrowed the bike from her."

"And the matching jacket?"

"I may have swiped it from her closet when she wasn't looking."

"She's got good style," Ben noted appreciatively before turning serious. "You ready for this?"

Carter held up a notepad and a pencil. "You know it. But first things first; do you remember what alien you turned into last night?"

He shook his head. "No. Why?"

"I thought that we could experiment with the same alien, see if whatever happened last night happened again," Carter explained. "But if you can't remember, we'll just go with something random."

Ben turned the dial on his Omnitrix and revealed the holographic form of Jetray. "How's this?"

"Haven't seen him in a while," Carter noted. "Go for it."

With that he slapped down the dial and changed into the red alien. His oversized green eyes blinked. And then, for whatever reason, green light washed over him, and Jetray turned into Big Chill.

Carter flipped open the notepad and jotted down, _9:45 PM- Jetray turns into Big Chill without Ben's consent. Standby for further analysis._

Big Chill flew through the night air, his midnight blue wings blending in with the sky. Carter jammed her borrowed helmet back on her head and followed. How Big Chill could ignore the roaring sound of the motorcycle was beyond her.

The alien landed in front of the Burger Boy restaurant, a futuristic domed fast-food joint that was an obvious rip off from some other famous restaurant. Big Chill's wings folded over his body into its usual robes and he walked up to the drive-thru window. He then started banging his fist on the intercom.

_9:48 PM-Followed Big Chill to Burger Boy. Alien appears to be hungry. Standby for further analysis_.

A pretty blonde waitress wearing roller skates angrily walked up to Big Chill. "What is your-AAAHHHH!" She screamed after she got a good look at the alien's face. She threw the metal tray she was holding and ran away.

The square tray was thrown high into the air, spinning slightly as it began to fall. Big Chill opened his mouth and swallowed it whole. He didn't even chew the metal.

Carter stared in disbelief and wrote_, 9:50 PM-Big Chill accidentally scared off waitress, who threw a metal tray in the air. Big Chill ate it. Would explain metal piece found in Ben's teeth yesterday._

Big Chill leaned over the intercom and bite off a chunk of the metal. After chewing, he ripped out the rest of the machine with his teeth and swallowed it all whole.

_9:51 PM-Big Chill ate drive-thru intercom. Has obvious cravings for anything metal. Standby for further analysis._

Big Chill spied the teenaged male a bit away from him. The boy was eating while listening to music through his silver headphones. The alien stalked over to him and stood over his shoulder silently. For a second the boy didn't notice him, but when he tried to take a sip from his glass he saw the moth man through the reflection. He twisted his abdomen to get a better look.

"Scram!" Big Chill hissed, leaning over and spitting in his face. Frightened the boy ran away with a whimper.

_9:52 PM-Big Chill intentionally scared away eating customer. Proceeded to then eat the metal support for the outside eating area. Standby for possible physical intervention._

_9:53 PM-After taking a bite out of pole, Big Chill used his ice powers to freeze a part of the outdoor area. It fell apart. He then continued eating it. Ben's suspicions of problems with his powers fully realized._

_9:57 PM-Flew up to Burger Boy roof and ate part of the statue. Some humanity is obviously intact, since Big Chill ate the burger instead of the human part of the statue._

_9:59 PM-Ate head off of Burger Boy statue. Possible threat detected. Standby for intervention._

"More," Big Chill croaked in his ghostly voice. He then flew off, passing over buildings at top speed. Carter revved her bike and drove after him, trying to keep the alien within her sights.

For a second she allowed herself to ponder what she was going to do. There was obviously a problem with Ben; she just took notes on him eating metal. But so far Ben hadn't hurt anybody. Yes, Carter said she was on standby for any possible threat, but from what she'd seen so far it hadn't come to that. It probably wouldn't. But Ben obviously wasn't in his right mind. If he started hurting innocent people…

Big Chill then sped up his already quick flying, and Carter went after him. All this time he'd been ignoring her, as if whatever was going on with him was more important than dealing with some girl. While Carter was thankful that she could gather notes on the phenomenon, it unnerved her to think of what was going through Big Chill's mind at the moment.

"Hey Big Chill!" she called out. No response. "Ben, stop flying so I can talk to you!" Still no response. "Don't ignore me!"

But ignore her he did. Big Chill turned a sharp corner with Carter on his tail, going faster and faster until she spied the giant wall on the outskirts of town. It was a gigantic brick monster, built in Bellwood's early days to protect the water pump that held the town's water supply. Only now it served as a literal roadblock for Carter. She turned sharply, tires screeching on the asphalt, leaving black streaks on the road. She gritted her teeth against the grating noise, eyes involuntarily scrunching up.

She almost didn't notice Big Chill turning intangible to go through the oversized wall. Almost.

Throwing off her helmet and jacket, Carter summoned her wings and flapped them. With a sound like a small sonic boom she flew upward, going higher and higher as she reached the top of the wall. She then flapped her wings and stayed still, trying to stay upright.

The giant expanse of the desert greeted her, from the tumbleweeds to the cacti to the jutting cliffs. But there was no Big Chill to taunt Carter with his enigmas. There was no sound of flapping wings or the noises of ripped apart metal.

Ben had disappeared.

* * *

><p>Turning into Jetray hadn't been a problem. Ben knew from the start. Everything felt fine, unlike last night. But then phantom pains coursed through him, tingling sensations that shouldn't have been there. Ben had blinked from the suddenness before he was forcibly turned into Big Chill.<p>

_That_ had caught Ben off guard. He tried to take control of the alien part of him again, trying to force it to do what he wanted. It was supposed to be easy; he had done a million times, and he never had a problem back when he was ten.

But the alien part of him refused to obey like all the other aliens. It was screaming at him, unintelligible words pounding at his subconscious. A roaring sound filled his ears, and Ben could feel the oddly familiar sensation of something nibbling at his subconscious.

It hit him like a ton of bricks. He _had_ felt this way before. Last night, when he had turned into Big Chill. The alien part of him had somehow taken control and did…something.

Whatever it was, Ben couldn't let it happen again. In his own brain he fought for dominance, forcing his will against the Necrofriggian. But the alien was screaming at him, the volume racketing to inconceivable levels as Ben was pushed back, far back into the recesses of his consciousness.

Barely, just barely, he could he see a black tar pit. No, a swirling vortex. A swirling vortex that was coming closer and closer to him, serrated edges cutting into his consciousness. It was pulling him toward it-a hand was pulling Ben's leg-he was struggling-he was screaming-he was clawing at the edges of the pit-

_**Ben! **_The holy voice, the savior was coming for him, rescuing him. Ben could see a bright spot just above the abyss. Ethereal light was flowing into the blackness, blotting out the evil that was pulling him in. A hand reached out of the hole, followed by an all too familiar face. He was shouting, reaching out an arm-

_**Ben, grab on! **_Ventus was yelling, all traces of humor swept away. Ben was crying, a hysterical laugh erupting out of his smiling mouth. He reached out a hand, using the other to cling to the edge of the pit. He was so, so close-the thing pulling him in tugged harder-he could just touch his friend's fingers-

_**Gotcha! **_Ventus said triumphantly, though he wasn't smiling just yet. He was pulling at Ben's arm, one hand latched onto the portal for support. Ben let go of the edge of the pit and grabbed his friend's arm. With incredible strength he was pulling the boy out. The darkness clung to him like a stain but then slid away. He was waist deep, then he was thigh deep, then he could just move his knees-

Ventus screamed out in pain as his arm broke apart, bone severing itself from its cartilage. For just one moment Ben was suspended in the air, the arm of the god in his hands. He stared numbly at the nub on his shoulder, golden blood flowing out of the wounds. He looked at the arm in his hands. It was disappearing, flesh being eaten away, revealing muscle tissue, golden veins, and then finally white bone. Even that was eaten away, leaving Ben with nothing.

Ben stared at Ventus, who stared back in shock. The golden blood had stopped flowing, leaving a half-sealed hole in the god's arm. For a moment they were suspended in mutual surprise before the portal began to close.

Ben cried out, reaching a hand out. Ventus held out his good hand, but then the portal sealed itself faster and faster until the god had to retreat the arm. Ben screamed, tears of anguish running down his face.

_**I'll be back, Ben, don't worry! **_Ventus said as the portal door closed. Ben hollered and thrashed as the abyss tugged him back into the blackness. He didn't want to go back-he wanted to be _saved_-he was so close-why-

Something tugged at his leg, making him sink faster. He screamed louder, his throat giving out. He let out a whimper, staring at the place where Ventus was just moments before. Black tendrils roped around Ben's shoulders as he fell. He continued to struggle, reaching for the edge, arms splayed for the serrated ends of the pit. The tendrils pulled him deeper, deeper…

-Falling, falling, always falling-

His mouth was below the surface, and yet he continued to struggle. The tendrils had abandoned him and Ben tried to swim upward. The blackness was thicker than tar-swimming was impossible-no, no, he couldn't give up-he _wouldn't_ give up-

-Falling, falling, always falling-

His arms slackened, his legs dead weights-lungs filled with tar-eyes bursting with salty tears-defeat clinging to him-

-Falling, falling, how the mighty are falling-


	38. Tuxedo Newt Meets His Cancan Girls

Chapter 38: Tuxedo Newt Meets His Cancan Girls

_Since the last chapter was horrific, I figured some lighthearted humor was in order. When I watched this episode for the first time, I wondered why no one really made fun of Ben's pregnancy. Then I remembered that it was supposed to be a kids' show. But since this story isn't for kids, I can make fun of it. XD_

* * *

><p><em><strong>There's something very wrong, Carter<strong>__._

The Goth lifted an eyebrow at the motherly voice. Newt was changing in her closet so the room was completely silent. Carter closed her eyes and continued the conversation.

_How so?_

_**Something is very wrong with Ben's subconscious. Ventus has no idea what's wrong-**_

_But it has something to do with the Omnitrix, I know. But what does that have to do with Ben's subconscious?_

_**Last night, after Big Chill took over, Ben was stuck in his own brain, unable to control his own body.**_

Well that certainly explained a lot. Carter continued: _What else?_

_**When Ventus tried to regain contact, he saw Ben being pulled down farther into his subconscious. Something was pulling him away from the surface.**_

Carter's eyes snapped open and narrowed into slits. _What are you saying?_

_**That's just it. No one knows what's happening to him, not even Ventus. And he knows Ben best. **_

_That's…I can't think of a word that can describe how bad this is._

_**Abominable? Appalling? Beastly? Grim?**_

_Show-off. _

_**I think grim works best in this situation. By the way, whatever happened to Ben? Did he ever reappear last night?**_

Carter sighed, recalling the phone conversation earlier. _He snuck back into his house this morning. He doesn't remember what he did last night or the Big Chill takeover. Also he woke up next to a giant crater in the desert._

…_**What?**_

_Yeah, I'm still wrapping my mind around that too. _The door to the closet opened. _I gotta go. I'll let you know if anything happens._

Newt walked out of the closet like a runway model. "How do I look?"

* * *

><p>"<em>Fighting evil by moonlight<em>

_Winning love by daylight_

_Never running from a real fight_

_She is the one named Sailor Moon!"_

Sam and Evan had one arm wrapped around the other's waist in a show of camaraderie. They were warbling the Sailor Moon theme song at the top of their lungs, systematically kicking their legs up like cancan girls.

Carter was holding her sides, leaned over, face red as she laughed her heart out at their god awful singing. Kevin was snickering, tears in eyes as he tried to contain the worst of his laughter. Newt was just standing there stoically in his black tuxedo and large top hat, a black caplet draped over shoulders. He was even wearing the white mask that covered his eyes and nose but left the mouth open.

As Sam and Evan finished their raucous singing, Carter fell to the floor with tears streaming down her face. Her body shook with mirth as she choked from the lack of air, and yet she continued to laugh.

The door to the garage burst open and Ben shouted, "What is going on?" And then he saw Tuxedo Newt and burst out laughing.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Newt said, throwing his arms in the air in a V-shape. "I am the great Tuxedo Mask sent to help the Moon Princess Serena against the forces of evil!"

"Dude, your killing me here," Kevin said, wiping away a stray tear.

"You already murdered Carter," Sam said dryly. The girl on the floor hiccupped from lack of air and still continued to snicker.

"Hey, Ben, do you know what dress Gwen's wearing to the dance?" Newt asked as he finally removed the mask.

Ben shook his head. "No. Why?"

"Well I got this yellow rose corsage for her and I want to make sure it doesn't clash," he said.

Kevin gave him a puzzled look. "What's a corsage?"

* * *

><p>"Where are they?" Ben grumbled as he searched through his refrigerator. He had left the others to explain the corsage thing to Kevin. Right now he had more pressing matters to attend to. Like devouring the insides of the pickle jar.<p>

"Ben, we need to talk," Carter said seriously as she walked into the kitchen. She heard the sound of a jar opening and saw Ben gnawing on a pickle. She raised an eyebrow but ignored it.

"You finished laughing?" Ben said in between bites.

The sides of her mouth began to quiver. "Don't get me started again," Carter said, failing to repress the smile. When she got herself under control, she started again: "What's going on with you? Last night you disappear and wake up in front of a crater. And you have no memory of last night. I'm getting worried."

Ben swallowed. "Yeah, me too. There's something up with my powers that I can't figure out. Pickle?" He held the jar out to her.

Carter grimaced and said, "I'm good."

He shrugged. "More for me." He started chewing on another one.

She raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be more worried?"

"I am, but I'm getting serious pickle cravings right now," Ben said. "I can't concentrate on anything else."

"Yeah, well, when you have major ADHD…" Carter trailed off, smirking. Ben stuck his tongue out at her.

"But seriously, there's something wrong here," she continued anxiously as Ben ate through two-thirds of the pickle jar. "Ventus tried to make contact with you last night. He saw you getting pulled away from your own consciousness."

Ben stopped mid chew, face stony. He could recall something-no, not something, that was too specific-he could remember a feeling. It was vague and fleeting, but for a second he could remember feeling terrified last night, a fear so intense that it made him shudder inwardly. But then the phantom feeling passed and he continued to deplete the jar's pickle supply.

"I don't remember," Ben simply said before swallowing.

"Just another thing to worry about," Carter muttered. She watched as Ben ate the last pickle and drain the jar of the green juice inside. "You really like pickles, don't you?"

"I told you, I've been having these cravings," Ben said. "I can't help it."

Carter gave an unladylike snort. "You sound like you're pregnant."

Ben rolled his eyes and fixed her a look. "Last time I checked guys don't get pregnant."

"You just drank pickle juice due to your insane cravings," she pointed out.

"That can mean anything!"

"Or does it?" Carter said in a conspiratorial voice. Her eyes were wide and her face was contorted in exaggerated seriousness. She could vaguely hear people in the living room-most likely their motley crew of friends was stampeding to the kitchen.

As the footsteps came closer, Ben's eyes widened to quarter size and he slammed the jar onto the counter. "You got me pregnant?!"

The footsteps stopped short of the doorway. The four teenagers were staring at them, Newt in the middle of taking off his jacket, Evan holding a phone in his hand, and Sam and Kevin linking arms. They were standing there, frozen, but the spectacle was just beginning.

Ben eyed them out of the corner of his eye and exclaimed, "I told you to wear a condom but nooo, you wouldn't listen!"

"I thought I pulled out in time!" Carter said wildly, running her fingers through her hair.

"Well you obviously didn't!" Ben threw his hands in the air. "How the hell are we paying for this?"

"I got some money, we can pay for the-"

"I am so sick of you!" Ben's face contorted, like he was about to cry. "You never think of anyone except yourself!" He stalked out of the kitchen, barreling his way through his shell-shocked friends and up the stairs. They didn't catch the cackling as he slammed the door to his room.

Carter could feel the laughter bubbling in her stomach. She covered her face with one hand, hiding the huge smile that she couldn't repress.

The crowd of friends all looked at each other. Then they looked up the stairs to Ben's closed room. Then they looked at Carter.

Finally, Evan had the nerve to ask: "The fuck just happened?"

Carter removed her hand and allowed them to see the mirthful grin on her face. "Male pregnancy; it's a bitch." And then she fell to the floor laughing.

* * *

><p><strong>That night<strong>

"We're going to the dance in a limo," Gwen stated in bafflement.

"Yes we are," Newt said amused.

"We're not going to the dance in a hearse."

"No we are not."

"Really good with conversation, this one," James the Awesome Chauffeur deadpanned from the driver's seat. Gwen flushed in embarrassment.

"Love you too, Jamie. Would you give us some privacy?" Newt asked politely. The tinted window rolled up without further comment. The blonde shook his head. "Love him to death, but he's got a mouth on him."

"Who exactly hired him?" Gwen asked, glaring at the person on the other side of the window.

"Cordelia," Newt said. "His personality might be the reason why she's kept him for so long." His face scrunched up at the thought of all the things James and Cordelia had said over the years.

"Not a pleasant thought," Gwen deadpanned.

Newt thought it was time for a subject change. "Did I mention how beautiful you look in that dress?"

"Yes, you did," she said with a slight smirk. "But go ahead and say it again."

Newt gave her his own smirk. Gwen did look quite lovely tonight. She had put on a simple strapless white gown that flowed to her ankles. There were no frills or gaudy attachments to it; it was simply a dress that accentuated the wearer's beauty. Gwen's straight red hair flowed down her bare shoulders like rivers and Newt couldn't help appreciate how nice the yellow corsage looked against her chest.

Gwen stomped her one-inch heel on Newt's shiny black loafers and said, "My face is up here."

He winced, but put on a decent leer. "I know. I was just thinking how nice yellow looks with white."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "You're incorrigible."

"I have no idea what that means." Newt gave her a puzzled look. "Seriously, I don't."

"It means you're hard to control."

"Yeah, well, if not the Pride, then me," he said with a shrug. Gwen gave him her own puzzled look.

"What do you mean?"

"You ever see them fight?"

"Lots of times."

"Then you know how scary they can be while fighting." Gwen nodded. "They used to be a lot worse than that. A _lot_ worse."

She arched an eyebrow. "What changed?"

"They met you guys."

Gwen blinked. Such a mollifying statement, and yet it left Newt's lips like nothing. Whatever temper that flared within her died down instantly.

Newt saw her sag a little, her face tinged in embarrassment. He smirked. "You're so cute."

"I know I am. Thanks for noticing." And there it was again, their repertoire. It was effortless and easygoing, like two good friends teasing each other. It was strange, how easily Newt matched himself to Gwen. Everything flowed towards Newt's pace but he always let her catch up. He was like Evan in a way.

Tonight was going to be a good night.

* * *

><p>"<em>9:52 PM-Big Chill intentionally scared away eating customer. Proceeded to then eat the metal support for the outside eating area. Standby for possible physical intervention.<em>

_9:53 PM-After taking a bite out of pole, Big Chill used his ice powers to freeze a part of the outdoor area. It fell apart. He then continued eating it. Ben's suspicions of problems with his powers fully realized._

_9:57 PM-Flew up to Burger Boy roof and ate part of the statue. Some humanity is obviously intact, since Big Chill ate the burger instead of the human part of the statue._

_9:59 PM-Ate head off of Burger Boy statue. Possible threat detected. Standby for intervention."_

Carter flipped her notebook shut and looked at Ben. He gave her a wary look.

"You weren't actually going to hurt me, were you?"

"Only if you hurt innocent people. It's only fair."

She had a good point. Ben dipped his hand in the park's fountain and flicked some water at Carter. It instantly froze before it hit her skin and fell to the ground as icy droplets.

"Never try to get the drop on me, Tennyson," Carter said coyly. "I'm hard to surprise."

Ben smiled before his eyes turned downcast. "It's happening again, you know."

"What is?"

"Me losing control over my powers. This is the second time."

"What happened the first time?" Carter asked curiously. Something about Ben's demeanor told her that it was a scar, an old wound that he didn't want opened unless he wanted it. Morbid curiosity took it from there.

"It was a few years ago, with another set of aliens," Ben explained, glancing at his Omnitrix. "I defeated it and thought it was finally over, but now…"

"The past comes back to haunt you, huh?" Carter mused.

"I'm scared it's going to happen again." He was looking at her now, eyes resigned and soulful. Whatever fear there was had been leeched out years ago. Age had taken its toll on Ben's old fears and made them shadows of what they once were.

"What happened to you?" Carter whispered.

"Not me. Gwen. She almost died. Grandpa could have died." She could almost see the unshed tears falling from his eyes, the anger, the pain, the terror coming out from behind the mask. His cocky façade crumbled in an instant, replaced by a little boy who wanted help but didn't know how to get it.

She placed her hand over his and said, "No one's dying. Not while I'm around." She gave him an exaggerated haughty glare, replacing his arrogance with her own. It was sarcastic and fake, a plastic mask of lies. But it was something, and it brought a smile to Ben's face.

"You would say that wouldn't you?" he said, rolling his eyes.

She smirked. "Mad I stole it from you?"

In a split second his lips were on her cheek. It was swift and careless but it still made Carter's eyes widen.

"Hard to surprise, huh?" Ben choked back a laugh when he saw her face flush red, her eyes narrowed into angry slits.

"Idiot," she hissed.

"I know." The smile fell from his face and his eyes widened, pupils becoming pinpricks in a sea of green. Carter stared at him, wondering what was going on, when Ben suddenly stood up. He shambled away from the fountain in a mechanic walk-not zombie-like, but definitely not natural. She got up to follow him as he stalked into the trees.

"Ben, what's up?" Carter called out when she reached the forest. He ignored her, walking faster, his jacket blurring into the leaves. She followed him deeper into the trees until she saw a blinding green flash. A blur of blue flapped its wings and flew into the night.

Carter released her wings and flew upwards to follow. She quickly got her phone out and speed dialed Evan, since she knew Sam was busy tonight.

Evan picked up and greeted her with a gruff: "I'm making out with an African goddess. This better be important." A rumble of giggles could be heard on the other side of the line, high-pitched sounds that grated on Carter's nerves.

"Ben's being controlled by something, and it's not Ventus," Carter said loudly, since the flapping of her wings and the high speed chase was surely drowning out her voice.

Evan gave a moan and said, "Where's he going?"

"I'll tell you when I get there."

"Tell him I hate him."

"You're the one trolling twenty girls. You tell him yourself."

* * *

><p><strong>At the Monongahela Foundry<strong>

Carter found Big Chill eating steel girders. Somehow that didn't surprise her.

"Ben, put down the metal and come with me," she ordered him, her wings contracting into her back with ease. Police officers were coming after them; the workers who escaped must have notified the authorities. She had to settle this now.

Big Chill ate the rest of the girder and glared at her. "No."

"Please?"

"No."

"You prick!" Carter shouted at him. "You're scaring people, endangering their lives! Cordelia's going to send an order to kill you. And for what?"

"Something important," Big Chill hissed at her.

"_Like what?_"

"Put your hands in the air, both of you!" The boys in blue shouted. They were at the ground level looking up, aiming guns at them. This was _so_ not good.

"Get out of here!" Carter shouted at them. "He'll kill you!"

"Then come down from there!" the blonde officer told her. "We'll protect you."

"She doesn't need protection," Big Chill sneered at them. "You, on the other hand…" He disappeared, becoming intangible. For a second Carter couldn't find him until she felt something cold pass through her. Ice had been shot into her veins, chills creeping up her spine. For a moment she stood there, shocked, in denial that she could feel such intense cold.

And then she heard the screams. One of the officers had been frozen; the other two were aiming their guns at Big Chill.

"Don't shoot him!" a voice roared from behind them. Evan had arrived on Sam's old Harley, the helmet in his hands. He was wearing the acid green leather jacket with the straps running up the arms and black fingerless gloves. He was glaring at Ben as he got in front of the officers.

"You guys get in line. I want first dibs," he snarled, eyes flashing. Big Chill narrowed his eyes at him and unfurled his wings with a menacing hiss.

"Dammit, Evan now is not the time to start a vendetta!" Carter called out. She could see the red lipstick on his throat even from the top level.

"I gave up an African goddess to save your ass!" Evan yelled at the alien. His .25 caliber guns were instantly in his hands. "I think I deserve some justice."

"Oh, for the love of-!" Carter started, but then stopped when she saw Big Chill go intangible again. Everyone was staring at the place where he once stood, at least until ice started falling from the ceiling. Evan and the officers dodged. Carter then saw one of the vats of boiling metal being tipped over slightly. A stream of the red liquid flowed into an invisible mouth before settling itself back into place. And then she heard laughter as Big Chill made his escape.

Carter jumped down from the top level and landed loudly on the bottom floor. Icicles littered the ground with frost intermingling. The police officers were staring at them while the frozen one didn't say anything.

Evan summoned his weapons away fuming. "Where'd he go?"

"The desert," Carter replied automatically. "That's where he went when he disappeared last time. And Ben woke up in a ditch this morning in the desert…" She trailed off contemplatively.

Evan picked up where she left off. "He's hiding something there. Now all we just gotta do is find him." Someone then tapped him on the shoulder. It was the blonde policeman looking understandably miffed.

"Will someone please explain to me what's going on?" he demanded.

Carter and Evan looked at each other and sighed. She went to unfreeze the one policeman while he put a hand to the blonde's forehead.

* * *

><p>"Ben went berserk?" Sam repeated into her phone. She was in the car with Kevin-they were supposed to be going to dinner, but then she got the call. She listened in as Evan angrily ranted about Ben retreating into the desert and then ended the call.<p>

"So Ben finally lost it?" Kevin asked. "You sure it isn't another Albedo thing?"

"Carter saw Ben transform into Big Chill," Sam explained. "Which is funny, because that's the alien Albedo liked using. Coincidence?" she asked in a conspiratorial tone.

"I think not," Kevin said before the two of them chuckled. It was a recurring gag between the two; what with all the aliens and conspiracies going on in their lives, it was nice to joke about them.

"So I guess dinner's a bust," Kevin mumbled after he calmed down. "I told you I could pay for it."

"I have more money than you," Sam stated. "Besides, my job pays a lot so it makes sense. You could have one too if you wanted one."

Kevin winced. "Not really. I don't know if you noticed, but-"

"You don't go to school." Again, another statement.

"How'd you know?"

"You don't go to mine and I know you don't have the money to get into Gwen's school," Sam said. It was all matter-o-fact with her, no beating around the bush. It should have sounded cold, but when she said it, it was more like she was reciting definitions from a dictionary.

"I could help you, you know," Sam suddenly said. She had an idea-she certainly had connections-she could schedule an appointment-

"Help me get a GED?" Kevin asked in bemusement.

"Why not?" She shrugged her shoulders. "The Slayers can fake anything. All you have to do is take some tests to see how smart you are and they'll go from there."

"You'd do that for me."

"Hey, I'm turning over a new leaf here. Let me help a little."

"I'm not a charity case."

"If you hadn't noticed, you kind of are," Sam said coolly. "You dropped out of school when you were eleven, became a sociopathic runaway, and then you went to the Null Void for a few years. That spells charity case."

Kevin cringed, his past mistakes surfacing yet again. "Okay, I'll let you help. But never refer to me as a charity case again."

"You were the one who brought it up."

"…Why do you always have to be right?"

"Because I am." Sam turned to the car's radio. "Didn't you say you installed a tracker in here?"

* * *

><p>"Turn left here!" Evan shouted from the backseat. He was holding his Plumber's badge out, using the scanner to locate Ben. He clung onto Carter's red jacket with one hand and pointed with the other. She did a sharp turn, making Evan squeal in fright. He was silenced when they came upon the ditch.<p>

A ditch, a crater, they didn't know what to call it. All they knew was that there was a hole in the ground full of scrap metal from cars and carnival rides. Also Big Chill was vomiting molten lava into it.

They watched in horrifying fascination as Big Chill used his ice powers to cool the lava. It turned an ashy gray color, curdling into a large mound the size of a small house. The moth man settled on top of it, constricting its wings to create the signature robes it wore. And then he kneeled there, waiting.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Evan whispered to Carter. They had parked not too far away from the crater, the motorcycle hidden behind a rock. They were sitting on top of the boulder, discussing their next course of action.

"Let me think for a minute," Carter shushed him. "He's been eating metal as Big Chill, and when he's human he's been having cravings."

"Are you talking about that male pregnancy gag?" Evan asked her. "Cause it was hilarious before, but now-"

"And why did he create that?" Carter interrupted him, pointing to the mound. "What purpose does it serve?"

Lights appeared in the distance, followed by the sound of an engine. A familiar green car rolled to the ditch, and out popped out very familiar black and red blurs. Evan and Carter immediately encased themselves in shadows and slid over to them.

Kevin gave a yelp of surprise when they reappeared right beside him. "Don't do that!" he seethed.

"Is that my jacket?" Sam pointed to Carter.

"Yes. Yes it is."

She blinked. "Okay then. What do you guys make of this?" Sam waved a hand over the mess in the ditch.

"He scared off innocent bystanders, broke into a steel mill, and froze policemen for _this_?" Evan sneered, throwing his hands up.

"Ben mentioned something like this happened before," Carter pointed out. "When he was ten, one of his aliens went rogue and nearly killed Gwen and Max Tennyson. Maybe there's a connection."

"But the last guy was evil, wasn't he?" Kevin knitted his brow together. "All this guy did was eat metal and scare some people. And now this. None of this adds up."

"Can't we just ask him what's going on?" Sam pointed out the obvious. Everyone looked at her before climbing into the ditch.

"Ben!" Evan shouted. Big Chill glared at him from the top of the mound. "What's up with you, man? You made me break off my date for this?"

"Are you still hung up about that?" Carter muttered under her breath.

"Tell us what's wrong with you," Sam called out.

Big Chill unfurled his wings and shouted, "GO AWAY!"

"You guys suck at negotiating." Kevin kneeled down and absorbed some of the cold scrap metal on the ground. "I'm gonna pound some sense into him." He was on his feet instantly, running at Big Chill with a fist aimed at him. Big Chill threw himself at Kevin and knocked him to the ground. He then began to chew on his arm.

"Did I mention he's got metallic cravings?" Carter called out unhelpfully.

Kevin absorbed some of the rock next to him to replace the metal armor. Big Chill got off spitting the dirt out of his mouth.

Evan chose that moment to throw a boulder at the mound. Big Chill immediately swatted it out of the air and sent it back to Evan. He punched it and sent dust clouds and pebbles everywhere.

Big Chill flew into the confusion, snarling as he came upon Evan. With his eyes glowing green earth formed around them, circling around the moth man like a vice. With a snap of his fingers Evan encased him in a rocky sphere. Carter sent water flowing out of her hands and around the sphere, freezing it in an extra layer of protection.

Sam was climbing up the mound, using the molten lava to sense the inside. She could hear something moving inside, little things crawling and bleating. She could almost hear it, the sounds of little hearts beating.

"Carter!" she yelled. "You really did get Ben pregnant!"

"What?" the Goth said in a monotone.

"It's a nest! Everything that's been going on was for the babies!"

"_What?!" _went everyone else.

The mound was cracking open, the metal screeching as green goo flowed out of the top. Sam got a wave of it all over her front. She grimaced but continued to watch the bubbles forming on the surface. The others were crowding around the nest, climbing up to the top in a transfixed state. They were vaguely aware of rocks pelting the ground and the sound of ice breaking.

Large blue orbs the size of soccer balls hovered out of the glop and towards the people. Carter gently prodded one, feeling the squishy outside as she moved it slightly away from her. And then they stretched, becoming ovals with wings protruding out of their backs. In just a few seconds all the orbs grew butterfly wings and green eyes and furry blue bodies.

Three out of four of the humans went, "Aaaawwww!" Sam just grunted and wiped some of the maggot goo off her.

The one nearest Carter purred at her before flying off to its mother-father? Man-mama? Whatever the case, all the dozen Necrofriggian babies flew to their parent, even the runt of the litter, though it could hardly fly. They all hovered around him and he pointed upward.

For a second they hovered, flapping their newly formed wings in random harmony, and then they all flew up, up, into the deep black sky, becoming dark blue specks in the sky. And then they were gone.

That was when Big Chill decided to turn into Ben. He blinked at the moon and then turned to the others. "What just happened?"

* * *

><p>Carter had retrieved Sam's motorcycle from behind the boulder. Sam had gotten all the goop off her. Evan was texting someone furiously. Kevin was standing there with a video journal and giving off the signature Joker smile. And Ben was sitting on a rock, jaw dropped.<p>

"I was actually pregnant?"

Kevin held out the video journal. On the screen were the dozen children Ben gave birth to. "Yup, these are your kids."

"_How?"_

"According to this, Necrofriggian-that's Big Chill's race-only give birth every eighty years or so. They'll live in space where it's cold and then they'll feed on solar plasma. I doubt you'll ever see them again, _mommy_."

"Cut it out!"

"Well this is all fine and dandy, but you still owe me," Evan said, glaring at Ben.

"Is that lipstick on your neck?" Kevin asked naively, getting a good look at the boy.

"I was in a hurry to wash it off because _someone_ was going on a rampage!"

"Wait!" Carter held up her hands. "Before you lay into him we gotta make sure he's not hiding anymore kids in him." She knelt down in front of him and hugged him, putting an ear to his stomach. Ben held up his arms in shock, face flushing red since it was easy enough for her to-

"He's clean!" she declared getting up. Ben got out of stupor and looked at Evan, who was giving him a very nasty smirk right now.

_**Why is Evan so mad at you? **_Ventus asked in Ben's head. _**Just what did I miss?**_

Ben was so happy he could cry. The empty void in his head had finally been filled. He no longer had to grasp for wisps when he needed advice. He felt... whole.

"Why are you smiling?" Sam asked him.

"No reason," he answered back, trying to frown again.

Carter took a look at her phone and said, "I gotta get you home. Unless you want to turn into Big Chill again and fly home." Ben groaned at Carter's evil little smirk.

"This is the most embarrassing day of my life."

"I think you make a great mother," she said honestly, thinking about the way Ben went so far to protect his kin.

"Stop making fun of me!"

* * *

><p><em>It's true; in the episode Kevin has no idea what a corsage is. Also, in the episode, Gwen's corsage goes on her wrist, but others can go on the chest. Just saying in case anyone was confused.<em>

_Also, the idea of Ben and Carter's pregnancy scare act actually came from real life. The boyfriend of one of my friends actually said this to his girlfriend and started acting all emotional. The only difference is that in real life, my friend didn't go along with the joke. But if she did, I think she would have acted like this._

_Thoughts, anyone?_


	39. An Aftermath of Sorts

Chapter 39: An Aftermath of Sorts

_The next few weeks are going to be hectic for me, so updates will be coming on Fridays for a while. The time span will be the same-a new chapter every two weeks-but a day early, until I say otherwise._

_Also, for the people who reviewed, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I've actually been waiting to use that Sailor Moon joke for a while now, and I'm happy that you found it funny. Or at least nostalgic._

_On a final note: I'm going to continue the male pregnancy gag by explaining why it wouldn't work for humans. So for all you readers who like to read pregnant male stories, you're out of luck. _

* * *

><p>Gwen blinked. "Male pregnancy."<p>

"Uh-huh."

"Can you even make a joke about that?"

"In the right situation, and since Ben's Necrofriggian DNA went berserk, it was too good of a chance to pass up."

Gwen shook her head. "You Valentines are impossible."

Newt gave her a cheeky wink. "That we are, fair lady. Oh my god, is that cheesecake?" He stared at the waiter with wide, exaggerated eyes as he put down a slice of the pastry in front of the blonde.

"Well would you look at that, it is," Gwen said sardonically as the rest of the table was set. She was smiling slightly as she watched her school friends' politely small talk with their dates. It had been awkward introducing Newt to them due to his feminine features-nearly everyone thought he was a girl in disguise. He surprisingly took that well. And after a few minutes of talking to him, all of Gwen's friends knew he was a guy. No one could fake a masculine voice _that_ well.

Though now that Gwen thought about it, the dance wasn't all that fun. Sure, it was great seeing her friends all dressed up and acting like the society people they weren't, but they were so hung up on being prim and proper that the entire affair seemed stiff. And then there was Newt cracking sarcastic jokes and putting smiles on everyone's faces. Everything he said was charming and polite but the laughter that followed wasn't polite and short. In fact, it was downright heartfelt.

"You're a total schmoozer, you know that right?" Gwen had told him while they were waiting for dinner to start. Newt had been fooling around with his place card on the round white table, shaking his leg and making the white cloth covering the table move slightly.

Newt then stopped twitching and smirked at Gwen. "It comes with being a politician's son. You learn to charm and impress people and in return they give you what you want."

"It's sad that you think that way."

"Yeah, well, that's the way of the world," Newt had pointed out with a shrug. "I've always believed in Social Darwinism and I've never been afraid to use it to my own advantage."

"Social Darwinism?" Gwen had arched an eyebrow at that. "Is your dad by any chance a conservative?"

New had given her a look. "I thought it was obvious, what with my upbringing and all."

Gwen had shaken her head. "So did Carter and she told me that your grandparents are more liberal."

Newt had grimaced. "They're more Independent, or perhaps Green? Either way they don't agree with the main parties but they're still more liberal than most doctors."

"I guess your dad doesn't agree with them."

Newt had shuddered and his voice turned into a whisper. "If they talk, it turns into a screaming match. And he's not happy that I'm willing to experiment. He thinks that I should only like girls."

"But you gotta admit that some guys are cute," Gwen had whispered back, even though it was very bad manners to whisper when it wasn't an emergency.

Newt gave her a smile. "Yeah, but when it comes to guys, I'm more of a 'look, but don't touch' kind of person. At least, not yet."

Gwen fixed him a serious look and said, "There's a time and place for everything, and that's college."

"You sound like Evan!" Newt had blurted out with a laugh, and from then the conversation turned to more lighthearted topics. What had been a stiff and cordial affair had turned into a laugh track of fun. Gwen couldn't picture a better night than this.

After dessert, as everyone was too stuffed and exhausted to do anything but sit and be lazy, jazz music started playing. The dancing was supposed to begin.

"Really? Now?" Gwen hissed, her stomach gurgling in protest. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"Don't they usually give you half an hour to digest first?" Newt asked rhetorically. His tablemate didn't say anything, and Gwen was angrily staring at the deejay.

Newt sighed and stood up. "May I have this dance?" He held out a hand for Gwen to take. She fixed him an incredulous look before taking his hand.

As he led her to the dance floor, she hissed, "What do you think you're doing? Everyone's staring at us." Which indeed was the case; all eyes were on them, some staring at them before flicking to their dates angrily, but most lazily.

Newt blinked and said, "That's the point." He put one hand on her hip and held the other in her hand and slowly they began to waltz.

"You can actually dance?" Gwen asked thoughtlessly before cursing herself. Of _course_ he knew how to dance; didn't he once tell her that he took lessons about these things?

But Newt merely chuckled and said, "I took cotillion for five years. I picked up a few things."

A few other couples had daringly ventured onto the dance floor and were swaying to the music. They weren't very good dancers; more like they were simply close to one another and moving their hips slowly to the jazz number. Only Gwen and Newt were actually doing a dance number.

"I thought for a school full of rich kids you had to know how to dance ballroom classics," Newt mused as he eyed the other couples.

"Do the kids at your school know how to waltz?" Gwen asked dryly.

"Actually yes," Newt answered back honestly. "My school's always been anal about raising proper society kids, so ballroom dancing is a given. I guess it's not the same here."

"I don't remember every hearing of a school like that in Washington D.C.," Gwen said as they reared a corner of the floor. Another few couples were joining them.

"It's for kids who come from old money," Newt explained. "Which doesn't mean anything except paying thousands for a public school education, which is a complete waste if you ask me."

Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think you're being a little harsh?"

"Not really," Newt said. "I've been in public school and in private school. It's basically the same thing except in private school everyone thinks their better than everyone else. Which, now that I think about it, isn't that different from public school," he added as an afterthought.

Gwen stared at him. "You really believe that, don't you?"

He shrugged. "Hey, I could be wrong. Your school might be better than public school."

"It is. I've seen Ben's homework; it's really not that good," Gwen said in a conspiratorial whisper. "What I don't understand why he doesn't try harder. He could get a scholarship to my school if he put his mind to it," she added bitterly.

"Ben's really that smart? No wonder Carter likes him," Newt joked before turning serious. "But maybe Ben thinks like I do. Or maybe he thinks that your school is full of rich snobs. Or that it's like _Degrassi_."

"You watch _Degrassi_?"

"I saw one episode of it," Newt said hastily. "It wasn't as awful as I thought."

"I wasn't going to judge you on that," Gwen assured him. "But I don't think that's the reason Ben doesn't go to Bellwood Prep."

Newt pursed his lips. "Maybe he doesn't want to wear a school uniform."

Gwen's eyes widened. "Knowing Ben, that'd be the case."

By then nearly everyone was on the dance floor and the slow jazz number turned into an upbeat pop tune. Newt and Gwen moved their legs to the song, conversation halted as they danced.

And then Gwen turned to the sky and pointed upwards. It took Newt a second to pay attention. He looked up and gasped: silver stars were littering the night sky like a painting. Beautiful constellations were mapping themselves out near the heavens, and he could have sworn he just saw a shooting star.

Newt looked at Gwen and she beamed. Utter elation was welling inside her. She could feel bubbles of happiness popping in her stomach and she let out a laugh as she saw Newt's stupefied face. He must never get to see the stars back in D.C. He was like a little kid on his first camping trip, loudly pointing out the Little Dipper to his loving father.

The two of them huddled close as the teenagers around them danced wildly. It was almost awkward, their position, but when they ignored the hollering and yells of their peers and looked above, they just smiled secretly and swayed gently. This moment was charged, yet there was no romance. They were simply enjoying each other's company in the only way they can. They were having fun, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

><p>The motorcycle dipped towards the pavement during the turn, and Ben shut his eyes. Which was silly, considering he was the boy who defeated evil alien overlords and other threats on a daily basis.<p>

Then again, it _was_ a motorcycle. There was hardly any protection against the elements, only the spare helmet on his head and his familiar green jacket. And Ben wasn't the one driving it; he was in the backseat hanging onto Carter as she drove him home. The fact that he wasn't in control worried him.

For a second his eyes were glued shut, but then he opened them and simply stared to the side. It was nighttime, the sky clear with the stars overcast and even a few shooting stars dotting the map. The houses they were passing were a mere blur, the lights fusing together like a straight line of white brightness. It was breathtaking and Ben didn't want to blink.

But blink he did, and no sooner had he done so his house pulled up. He groaned as the engine purred to a stop.

"Here's your stop. Did we make curfew?" Carter asked him as she leveled the bike and took off her helmet. Ben took a quick look at his phone and nodded.

"We got about five minutes before my mom calls and yells at me," Ben said as he put his helmet behind him.

Carter smirked devilishly. "In that case, shut up and kiss me."

"Well aren't you assertive." Ben pressed his lips to hers. She shifted torso to face him, one hand on the handles so the bike wouldn't tip over as they moved. A flicker of annoyance passed through him and Ben broke off the kiss.

Carter gave him an irritated look and said, "What's wrong now?"

Ben's brow crinkled. "Isn't this weird?"

"What's weird?"

"Our position." Ben gestured to the seating arrangement. "Isn't the girl supposed to be behind the guy when they kiss on the motorcycle?"

Carter gave a little giggle. "And then when they finally break away, the girl looks longingly at her boyfriend as he speeds off into the night, blowing kisses at his back," she said melodramatically, hands out and before her like a hammy actor.

"And when the girl finally gets home her parents are waiting for her. They warn her to stay away from that dangerous boy, that he's up to no good," Ben said, playing along.

"And then the girl says that they don't understand her or their relationship and angrily stomps to her room." Carter had dropped her melodramatic tone by the end, and now she was giggling up a storm at the clichéd fifties analogy. Ben couldn't help but join her.

"Though you are fairly dangerous," Ben admitted slyly, his eyes fox like.

"I will not deny it," Carter declared. "But only if you admit that you're dangerous too."

"I am not-! Oh, wait…" Ben muttered as he self-consciously put a hand over the Omnitrix. Carter smirked and pecked his cheek.

"You're adorable sometimes."

"And you have to leave because it's now my curfew," Ben said as the lights over the driveway turned on.

Carter jammed her helmet back on and revved the engine. "Adieu, dear lover! Until we meet again!" she cried out like a clichéd romantic.

Ben waved as he hopped off the bike and shouted, "Godspeed!" as she drove off into the night. He turned around to the glaring lights and said quietly, "Time to face the music."

* * *

><p>Sam was in the car, replaying the video where Big Chill's children swarmed around them before taking off into the night. In the film, for a split second, a Necrofriggian baby hovered near the lenses, bulbous green eyes staring into the screen as it purred. And then the camera was jerked away, and the moth child floated near its brothers and sisters.<p>

"When did you take this, anyway?" Sam asked Kevin as he drove through the night.

He shrugged. "When no one was lookin'."

Sam thought back earlier when she was getting all the maggot goo off her. "But how? Ben's kids were on the planet for, like, thirty seconds before they flew into space. And everyone was paying attention to them. I think we would have noticed if a camera was watching them."

"Ah, but you didn't," Kevin pointed out. "And now we have proof that male Necrofriggians can give birth."

"Okay, I can buy that, since it's a species I'm not familiar with," Sam began. "But if Ben was pregnant while he was human…"

"Is that even possible?"

"That's just it; it isn't," Sam explained. "They've done studies on why men can't give birth. Men are more accustomed to short-term pain, like getting shots, while women can handle long-term pain, like childbirth. And quite frankly, men don't have the reproductive organs to actually push a baby out of them."

"So if Ben was pregnant as a human…"

"It's impossible. But if it _did_ happen, then he'd have to abort that freak of nature."

"Harsh."

"Not harsh; merciful. I told you, guys don't have the organs to give birth. Can you imagine what it'd look like if the baby actually came out of a human male?"

Kevin allowed himself to imagine it and his face rapidly grew a mottled green color.

"That's what I thought," Sam said smugly.

"That is…disgusting," he said before putting a hand over his mouth. He breathed deeply through his nose for a good minute as his face returned to a more normal color. He then shook his head to get rid of those nasty thoughts and returned both hands to the steering wheel.

"Feeling better?"

"I'll live. I've seen worse."

"So are you actually going to keep this video?" Sam pointed to the frozen frame of Necrofriggian children.

"Well, yeah. It's decent blackmail to hang over Ben's head whenever he pisses me off."

"I doubt that'll work," Sam pointed out. "Who's going to believe that these things came from Ben? They look like CGI effects for some monster movie."

"That…I hate it when you're right," Kevin groaned as he turned a corner. All the blackmail threats that were forming in his mind flew away, leaving him dejected. And then he thought of something that brought a smirk back to his face. "But what makes you think that Ben will realize that?"

"If he doesn't himself, then Gwen and Carter will tell him," Sam told him. "That is, if Evan doesn't delete the video."

"Why would he delete it?" Kevin asked.

"'Cause this is proof that aliens exist," she said. "Even if people dismiss it as a hoax it's still proof. And Earth isn't exactly ready to deal with aliens. Knowing Cordelia's paranoia, she'd say that other planets will use this video as a way of worming into Earth's defenses and destroying the planet from the inside."

"That is…wow," Kevin said, unsure of what to say. When he first met Cordelia, he thought of her as a crazy, cruel bitch. Yes, she was Carter's grandmother, but the truth still applied. She was like the female Joker or perhaps Harley Quinn-sexy as hell, but still freaking insane. To think she was also paranoid…

"Well, when you're five thousand years old, paranoia tends to come for the ride," Sam said in a half-joking manner. "'All's fair in love and war,' I suppose."

"You'd know that best of all," Kevin stated. Sam froze body rigid. She narrowed her eyes at him, but he was looking at the road, calm as ever.

"What do you mean?" she said coolly.

"I mean, when it comes to war and getting the guy you want, you Slayers know best," Kevin elaborated. He was looking at her calmly, like what he was saying was scripted.

"And how would you know that?"

"Well, when we first met, you used my words against me so we could start dating," he said with a shrug.

"You mean about Gwen?"

"I mean, it made perfect sense know that I think about it," he hurried on, "and I don't blame you for using it to your own advantage. I'd do the same thing if I was in your shoes."

Sam slumped in her seat, eyes wide with disbelief. "And you're not angry?" she asked incredulously. "How? _Why_?"

"First of all, we both brought up really good points, like how Gwen is way too good for me."

"I thought that at first, but now that I know her better, you two do seem to fit each other rather well," Sam admitted sheepishly. "The whole 'opposites attract' thing works for you. But Gwen is like a newborn bunny-"

Kevin interrupted with a snort. "A bunny."

Sam smiled. "Yes, a bunny. They're cute and cuddly but they're also naïve to a fault. They trust almost blindly and see the good in everything. They give everyone the benefit of the doubt even if they don't deserve it." She frowned. "But the world isn't like that. It's full of hungry wolves that'll eat the cute little bunny for breakfast without a second thought."

"Huh. I guess that does apply to Gwen," Kevin admitted. Gwen herself was far tougher than a weak bunny rabbit, but she _was_ awfully trusting. The comparison rather worked.

"That's why I was opposed to the two of you dating," Sam confessed. "She's innocent and you're jaded. You've always known it's a dog-eat-dog world and you know that not everyone deserves a second chance. She's an idealist, you're a pessimist. If you two started dating it wouldn't work out in the long run."

"You really think so?"

"It's the only logical explanation."

"But people's feelings aren't logical."

"I know that for a fact," Sam stated. She remembered something. "Wasn't there another thing concerning you and Gwen?"

"Oh, yeah," Kevin said, remembering himself. "Another thing is that when I met you, Gwen and I weren't exactly an item."

"But you had feelings for each other."

"Are you holding it against me?"

"There's no reason to."

"Okay then. Anyway, while we did have some sparks goin' on between us, it died out when I met you. I wanted to ask Gwen out, but I waited too long because…"

"You were insecure."

Kevin grimaced with a faint blush, but didn't deny it. "By the time she asked me out, it was too late. There was really nothing holding me back asking you out."

Sam shook her head. "That's the problem with girls these days. When it comes to dating, they're told to wait so the guy can ask them out. If they want to feel desired the guy has to make the first move. They're told that to go after the guy you want is wrong. But to get what you want you have to take it, and damn the consequences."

"'All's fair in love and war,'" Kevin stated with a smirk.

"I felt bad for Gwen, since she actually had the guts to do it," Sam said, "but she was too late. Waiting around never helps your chances."

"You make a good point," Kevin attested, "but I'm an old-fashioned kind of guy. The guy does the askin'."

Sam gave him a sly smirk. "Oh, I know."

He chuckled. "Oh, yeah, how?" She stayed deceptively silent. "Sam, how do you know? Sam?"

* * *

><p>Evan angrily ended the call, his super strength nearly destroying his cell phone. He huffed as he sat on top of the Billions' Tower, the tallest building in Bellwood. Security was tight there, but Evan had enough training to skirt around the guards and temporarily jam the cameras. Still, it wouldn't do to stick around for much longer.<p>

The night had started around well enough for him, what with him getting together with an African goddess and all. But then Ben had to defy the laws of frigging nature and give birth to twelve little alien babies. The thought first stunned Evan into a state of disbelief. And then he got angry, since that meant that he had to help get Ben back to normal.

Not only did he have that on his brain, but the others were accusing him of trolling ten girls for dates. For one thing, it wasn't ten girls; it was more around seven. And he hadn't been trolling them. He had seen some girls around town and started a conversation with them. Afterwards they swapped numbers. How was that trolling?

Okay, if Evan had to be honest, maybe he did flirt a little. But that was to be expected, since the girls he had been talking to were very attractive. And yes, maybe he had been looking for a little action, but mostly he had been looking for a conversationalist. Smart girls had the tendency of being great to talk to.

But why was it that whenever Evan tried talking to a supposed smart girl, they giggled and talked in high-pitched voices? What, were they trying to be cute? And then they pretended they didn't have an opinion, squealing like fan girls whenever Evan tried to talk smart. It was unbelievably infuriating.

Maybe that was why Evan didn't have a problem dumping them after he went out with them. They acted so vapid and airheaded that he didn't think that they would mind. They would simply leech onto the next boy that looked at them.

Why, oh why couldn't there be more smart girls? Girls that could string a sentence together without having to use 'um' to continue; girls that could talk politics with him whenever the need arose; girls that weren't afraid of their intelligence and flaunted it for the world to see. Evan knew there were girls like that out there. So why couldn't he find them?

His cell phone lit up and Weezer's "Smart Girls" sounded through the night. It was the girl he had been with earlier, the one who refused to answer the phone since he left to save Ben. Evan had called nearly five times since the event, and now she wanted his attention. He pressed the ignore button on his phone and put it away.

Sam and Carter knew Evan's preference in the female gender. They knew that he wanted intelligent girls as a girlfriend. They knew that until he discovered said girl in the multitude of airheads he talked to, he would cast the rest off until they showed some signs of critical thought. It was harsh and cruel, but they understood. Bless them, they understood!

Lights were blinking on in the hallway. Evan could see the brightness from the windows underneath him. He stood up and summoned his wings, his beautiful green wings with tawny spots on even the devil part. He jumped off the building, letting himself get suspended in midair before flapping his wings and flying away.

The stars were twinkling silver, the moon full and bright. He imagined Gwen and Newt at the dance, moving in tandem to some jazz number. He imagined Carter frightening Ben on the motorcycle, trying to get him home before curfew. He imagined Sam and Kevin driving off into the night, talking about something serious and unconcerned with the world around them.

Three different couples. Six different lives entwined together, if only for one night. For one night they belonged together, forcing the universe to accept them as a part of the everlasting existence.

Evan was the odd man out, the one that didn't fit in.

He flapped his wings once and then coasted through the night air. His phone was ringing again, but he didn't pick up. There would be time later. He closed his eyes, savoring the euphoric feeling of flying before opening them.

It didn't matter. He was Evan Force, leader of the Pride. One day he would find the person he would share his youth with, if only for one night. He would force the universe to accept them as part of the everlasting. He would make Fate see that they were more than chess pieces in the heavenly game.

But for now, he would fly solo.

* * *

><p><em>This chapter is dedicated to the smart girls who aren't afraid to go after what they want. You rock, ladies! <em>

_Seriously though. Have you guys ever noticed that whenever there's a hot guy around, most girls talk in high-pitched voices and say things that make them sound cute? And how they brush their hair back and give said guy the fluttery eyes but never actually say anything to him? If they're so interested, why don't they, I don't know, actually go up to the guy and start a conversation? Is that really so hard?_

_Also, didn't anyone else find it weird that Kevin had a video of the Necrofriggian kids? The episode doesn't show him filming them; hell, he doesn't even have a camera on him. Methinks the animators made a mistake. XD_


	40. Sombrero Man and Master Mechanic

Chapter 40: Sombrero Man and Master Mechanic

_Like I said last chapter, I have to update on Fridays. The plus side is that I'm 99% positive that next update will be on a Saturday like usual. I'll let you know if anything changes._

_Also, I'd like to apologize for Evan's eccentric behavior in the beginning of the chapter. It was always my intention to make him one of the weirder characters, but it never really showed, and the one time it did...Anyway, I'm sorry. Maybe you'll find it funny...?_

* * *

><p>"They're so cute!" Gwen trilled annoyingly as she watched the footage in the video journal. Ben groaned loudly and she shot him a mischievous look.<p>

"Well, they are," Newt attested. "In a bug-eyed moth-y kind of way."

Ben groaned louder and slumped in his seat.

Kevin, who was showing off the footage, turned the screen back to him. "Kind of hard to imagine something so adorable coming from you, Tennyson."

"Ha. Ha."

"You defied the laws of nature. We have the right to make fun of you," Sam pointed out calmly. Ben thumped his head against the garage's wall and pouted.

Cater nudged his shoulder and said, "You're too old to pout."

"I'll stop when you people let this go!" he said hotly.

"Can't Gwen and I make fun of you still?" Newt asked. "We just found out about your children; we have a right."

"No!"

Gwen chuckled and shook her head. "I think the others have tortured him enough."

"Thank you!"

Kevin stared wistfully at the video and sighed. "So much blackmail potential."

Ben turned to him, eyes narrowed into slits. "Blackmail?" he hissed.

Kevin turned the screen toward him. "These are technically your kids. You wouldn't want this leaked, would you?"

"And just who would believe they came from me?" Ben shot back, arching an eyebrow.

Kevin turned to Sam and asked, "Did you tell him?"

"Tell me what?"

"I think he figured it out on his own," Sam answered.

"Figured out _what_?"

"So do we really have to get rid of this?" Kevin pointed to the freeze frame of moth babies.

Carter nodded her head. "Most likely. The second Cordelia finds out about this she'll go on and on about some random conspiracy or something." She rolled her eyes.

"Must be hard, having a grandmother who's more paranoid than Nixon."

Newt, who had been searching for something on his phone, quickly went to his grandmother's defense. "Cordelia has five thousand years under her belt. She's had to deal with hundreds of threats and conspiracies. Nixon was just crazy."

Gwen took the phone out of Newt's hands and looked at the screen. "What are you looking up anyway?"

"Something for Evan's birthday," he said. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at him. "What?"

"You still haven't found him something?" Sam asked him incredulously.

"Evan's birthday is coming up?" Gwen asked him incredulously.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Ben asked Carter.

"Didn't you get the Facebook notification?" she shot back.

"When is it?" Kevin asked calmly, since the Tennyson cousins were freaking out.

"Next week," Newt said. He told them the exact date.

"So we have less than a week to find him a present." Gwen's nostrils flared. "Perfect."

"What are you guys getting him?" Ben asked the others.

"Carter and I usually get him something comic book themed, while Newt here gets him something from Star Wars or Star Trek," Sam explained. "As long as it's something geeky and weird, he'll like it."

"One year we got him the entire Star Trek series," Carter said, looking at Newt reminiscently.

"Including blooper reels and director's cuts," the blonde added.

"And the time I got him that Batman backpack and Carter got him the little toy Bat mobile," Sam said.

"He wouldn't stop playing with the car for a week," the Goth said fondly.

"And last year I got him Star Wars pajamas," Newt said for Gwen's benefit, since she looked extremely worried about what to get Evan.

"Is he a Doctor Who fan?" Ben asked suddenly-or perhaps not suddenly, since the idea had been cooking in his brain for a few minutes now.

"Definitely," Sam said.

He leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head. He was smiling triumphantly. "I'm all set then."

"Hey, does Evan have a car?" Kevin asked suddenly, a thoughtful look on his face.

"His dad's getting him a used one after he passes his driver's test," Carter told him. "Why?"

"'Cuz I got a car-"

"You have more than one car?" Ben sat up rigidly, incredulity etched into his face.

"Some guys at auto shop fix up old junky cars and sell them for used," the older teen explained. "They're old but in great shape. And since I've had to teach Evan how to drive, an old car might work for him."

"Is he really that bad of a driver?" Newt asked tentatively.

Kevin's left eye gave the slightest twitch. "No."

"You lie!" Ben shouted while pointing an accusing finger.

"He isn't!" he protested. "He'll pass his driver's test no problem. But he is never getting behind the wheel of my car again."

"I've seen him drive. He isn't bad," Sam noted. Kevin gave her a look.

"Never. Driving. My. Car. Again."

Sam held up her arms in the surrender motion.

Gwen took a sweep around the room. "Where is Evan anyway?"

"He said he forgot something in my house," Ben mused. "But he's been gone a long time. What's taking him?"

Evan chose that exact moment to walk through the door. He was texting someone with one hand. The other was smoothing the fake black moustache on his upper lip. Also he was wearing a sombrero.

It took a minute for that to sink in.

"Evan, where did you get the sombrero?" Carter asked slowly, afraid of the answer. Evan looked up, distracted, before hitting the send button on his phone.

"I found it," he said.

"And where did you find it?" Gwen asked hesitantly.

"In Ben's house," he said confused.

Ben gave him a look. "And where did you find it in my house?"

"In your closet."

"You own a sombrero?" Kevin asked him.

"No, I don't!" Ben cried, losing his cool. "How did it get in my closet? What were you doing in my room anyway?"

"I lost my math book in your room and I couldn't find it on your desk so I had to search," Evan explained. It was the most coherent sentence they've heard from him since the entire conversation began. Why didn't he start with that in the first place?

"And where does the sombrero fit in?" Ben asked at his wit's end.

Evan just shrugged his shoulders.

* * *

><p>"You wanted to see me, Isaac?" Newt asked nervously in the Valentine study. His grandfather was sitting behind his desk as usual, a pensive look on his face. For a long moment he just stared at the teenager, calculating blue eyes boring into smoky gray ones.<p>

Finally, the older man said, "I did."

"C-can we make this quick? I have packing to do," Newt said shakily. He was unbelievably nervous; Isaac _never_ wanted one on one time with him. He usually talked to Carter about Slayer things, not him. Newt wasn't even a fighter, not really. He only used his powers when necessary, like the time with Morningstar.

The Morningstar incident. It was forever ago, yet it still left a bitter taste in the back of his mouth. Newt had been so utterly _useless_ then-not even his best shield spell could withstand the leech's awesome power. And then he fainted just as the fighting became really bad.

And yet no one blamed him. No one, not even Gwen, the poor girl. She had been the one to finally stop Morningstar, sucking back the energy he stole from her. It was so completely awful that Newt couldn't do anything. But then he remembered that he was the host for Lyrica, the music and art god. He was a lover by nature, not a fighter.

Still, that left Newt feeling guilty. He wanted to make up for his incompetence. So when he found the flyer for the dance at Gwen's school, he took the chance. She was the one who most needed the apology, even if he could never say it. He couldn't prove himself in a fight, but he damn well made sure Gwen had a good time at the dance last night. It was the least he could do.

"Newt, do you want power?" Isaac finally said all business. Newt was startled to say the least. No one offered him power. He was simply the art man, the one who didn't need to hone his skills in battle like the others. Yes, he had received the training all Slayers got, but it never went farther than that. No one advised him to go into the business and he had no desire to.

But the Morningstar incident got him thinking. He was so useless then but he didn't know how to get stronger. There didn't seem to be any point in it. How could an art god use his powers for battle? Newt couldn't force life into his drawings to make them real. He couldn't use his words as blades to fight with.

He was simply useless.

He didn't want to be useless anymore.

"I want power," Newt said stonily. All traces of nervousness were gone. He had no reason to fear his mentor. He was the one who passed the Lyrica gene to him. He would always have his back.

"Why do you want power, Newton?" Isaac asked.

Newt could feel the shield splintering apart when Morningstar destroyed it. He had created it, branching out his feeble powers to stop the madman in his steps. It had been a part of him, and he could feel it when it was crushed.

He no longer wanted to protect.

"I want to fight," Newt said.

Isaac gave him a reptilian smile. "Good. And I know a way you can."

Newt was confused. "You mean like a spell?"

"Yes. You won't fight like Carter does. You'll be on the sidelines. But you'll send out your energy to her to give her a boost. You'll be there right alongside her without having to lift a finger."

Newt didn't know what to say. His fighting skills were mediocre-he could fight off any number of humans, but he couldn't do what a Slayer did. It was simply impossible for him.

But this was an alternative, and a great one at that. He had power-he knew he did-it was simply untapped. And to be an energy reserve, well, that didn't sound so bad.

"I warn you, Newton, that it will not be easy," Isaac said ominously. "The training will be severe. If you finish it and use the spell outside the time pocket, it will hurt you. The pain will be excruciating. It may blind you, it may destroy your voice, and it may even kill you. Do you wish to proceed?"

That forced Newt to think this through. It was unbelievably dangerous, and he had no desire to lose his life. But then he remembered that Carter and Evan and Sam went up against murderers and crazy people, risking their lives to get rid of them. They faced mental and physical pain he could only imagine in his darkest nightmares. This was no different.

"Yes," Newt finally whispered. Isaac smiled sadly and brought up his cane. He brought it down, letting the butt hit the floor with a resonating thud. Darkness was billowing out from it like demonic arms, and bits of the room were disappearing.

A hole appeared in front of Newt, a small one that he could just barely fit through. It was the way into the time pocket, he was sure. He looked up at Isaac for confirmation. He nodded.

This was his last chance. He could still back out. He closed his eyes and saw Gwen's lifeless gray face behind his eyelids.

He opened them and threw himself down the rabbit hole.

* * *

><p>"Sam, you there?" Charlie called out to his sister. She was about to leave the house, but something in her brother's voice made her stop. He sounded worried, almost scared.<p>

"Is something wrong, Charlie?" Sam turned to see her brother standing in the hallway, cell phone in hand. He was leaning against the wall, his beanie tucked into his pants pocket. He was running his fingers through his hair in an obviously anxious manner.

"It's Beck. We were talking on the phone and he was cut off. I heard a struggle."

"It could just be his mom. You know he uses his phone too much."

"I heard hissing noises Sam. _Hissing_," Charlie insisted.

That was some food for thought. The only aliens Sam knew that made hissing noises were the DNAliens, but they didn't have anything to do with Beck Alvarado. Did they? Beck was the vessel for the forge god Vala and was prodigious with machines. It wouldn't be too far-fetched if the creatures somehow got a hold of him.

"Do you know where he was while you were talking?" Sam asked. Relief flooded Charlie's face; if anyone was going to take him seriously, it was his sister.

"In his basement lab," Charlie hurriedly explained. "He was working on something top secret. Do you think whoever beat him up was after that?" he added in a conspiratorial whisper.

Sam shrugged. "Anything's possible. Now lead me to his house."

Like most Slayer residents, Beck Alvarado lived in Sterling Hills, so it didn't even take twenty minutes to get to his house. The DuBaer siblings snuck into the basement of the expansive house using shadow travel.

"You weren't kidding about a struggle," Sam said as she took in the carnage. The once pristine lab was destroyed, countertops falling apart, chairs smoking from getting licked with flames, priceless inventions dismantled and destroyed.

"Beck, where are you?" Charlie called out, launching himself through the destruction. Sam followed slowly behind looking for clues. No human could have done this-there wasn't a security system so no human came to help, and the amount of damage done to the place suggested a more otherworldly criminal.

And then she saw it: large globs of green slime congealed together on the floor and far wall. They had been recently spat, and judging from the scorch marks, the slime was fairly combustible.

Sam immediately got out her phone and speed dialed Carter's number. She picked up almost immediately.

"Sam, where are you? You missed Kevin making the teleporter pad explode."

"I told you it was a piece of crap!" Evan shouted in the distance.

"Shut up!" Kevin shot back.

"Flaming Beck's been kidnapped," Sam said. "DNAliens took him."

Carter drew in a breath. "_What?_"

"Yeah, I can't believe they took him either," Sam said. "He's been low-key about his inventions. They must have heard about it through the interstellar grapevine."

"Wait, if they took Beck, doesn't that mean they'd be after that Cooper kid too?" It seemed like Carter wasn't just talking to Sam.

Charlie had crept up to Sam at that point, listening intently. Finally he whispered, "Isn't Cooper the kid who can control human and alien technology?" Sam gave a curt nod. "We'll find him in Lo Soledad. Trust me!"

Sam gave him an even look but followed through nonetheless. "Carter, you take the others and go check Cooper's house," she ordered. "If he's been taken, we'll probably find him and Beck in Lo Soledad. I'll meet you there." She hung up.

"You're taking me too," Charlie declared. "He's my friend, I have to be there."

That wasn't a very convincing argument. "If you come along I'll have to watch you to make sure you don't get hurt. That could distract me," she added through narrowed eyes.

"I'm a decent fighter, I can handle myself," Charlie insisted. "And while you fight I can escape with Beck and Cooper."

Her brother was never going to let this go, was he? "Okay, you can come. I'm sure Isaac has new equipment at the hospital he wants us to try out." Sam added that last bit as a joke. She cringed at how in poor taste it was.

Charlie ignored it. "Thanks. Now come on, we have an idiot to save."

* * *

><p>They were waiting for the car when the others finally showed up.<p>

"Charlie's with us for today?" Evan asked once he was out. The others followed suit and Charlie waved excitedly at Carter. She gave him a smirk but otherwise ignored him.

"Who's this?" Gwen asked politely, since introductions had to be done.

"Charlie, meet Gwen, Ben, and Kevin." Sam pointed them out. "Gwen, Ben, and Kevin, meet Charlie."

The boy looked between Ben and Evan and said, "You really did find Evan's doppelganger!"

"Or we found Ben's doppelganger, depending on how you look at it," Kevin pointed out thoughtfully.

"So, wait, this is your little brother?" Ben asked. "You said we'd never see him."

"I said you probably won't see him at my house," Sam corrected him. "And we're obviously not at my house."

"Why is he here, exactly?" Kevin asked, since someone had to.

"Beck was talking to me on the phone when he was kidnapped," Charlie explained quickly. "I'm the only one who knows about his top secret projects."

"If they weren't totally destroyed in the struggle," Sam muttered under her breath.

"It'd explain why they took Cooper," Evan noted (he had forsaken the sombrero and mustache look). "He can control any kind of technology and Beck can create anything using human and alien tech."

"Wait, how'd you know we'd find Beck in Lo Soledad?" Carter asked Sam suspiciously. "We only know Cooper's here because of Gwen's mana tracking. How'd you know we'd find Beck here too?"

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask you about that." Sam turned to her little brother. "Talk."

Charlie got out the magnetic earring out of his ear and pressed the fake diamond. Instantly a blue holo-map appeared above it, showing the blueprints to Lo Soledad and the surrounding desert. A cluster of red dots littered the entrance to the base while a single red dot was somewhere inside it.

"It's a DNA scan," Charlie explained. "Beck made it for me in case anything happened to him. Never thought I'd actually use it." He stayed silent for a moment before pointing out the red clusters. "This is me, Sam, Evan, and Carter, and this little lone dot has to be Beck." He pointed out the last one before shutting off the map.

"Neat trick," Ben complimented him. "Only problem is there's _nothing going on_." He pointed to the entrance to Lo Soledad which was as quiet and deserted as an abandoned military base could be.

"Deserted," Kevin noted. "At least last time we were here there was a monster to fight."

"The holo-map can't be wrong," Charlie said, freaking out. "Beck made it!"

"And I did my mana tracking right," Gwen pointed out. "I don't get it."

"Well, love is blind," Kevin said smarmily, "And apparently it screws up your powers too."

"My powers are _not_ screwed up!" Gwen protested angrily.

"What's going on?" Sam asked Carter quietly.

"Cooper has a crush on Gwen," she answered back.

"So what are we looking at here?" Evan asked as he stood near the entrance. He began to walk through the space. "Is it an invisibility cloak or-!" And then he was gone.

Seriously. He was gone. It was like he had become invisible or was swallowed up by something. The others had seen some truly strange things in their life, but this was pretty out there.

Ben, who had been closest to Evan, stood near the entrance. "Evan, where are you?" he called out worriedly. And then a black-sleeved arm grabbed him by his shirt collar and pulled him through the invisibility cloak. Ben emanated a yelp before disappearing.

Now everyone was hovering near the entrance, unsure of how to proceed. And then Ben stuck his head out-just his head, not his torso or arms or anything-and said excitedly:

"You guys have got to check this out."

With that everyone followed him through the shield to find DNAliens everywhere: they were getting crates off of a ship; they were walking around doing odd jobs; they were even using clipboards. Three weather towers could be seen in the distance with snow falling from the sky.

A gigantic piece of shrapnel lay on the ground near the entrance and everyone hid behind it. "Its DNAlien day camp," Ben said like it wasn't obvious to everyone.

"Those are DNAliens?" Charlie crinkled his nose. "Nasty. When do we start busting heads?"

"No, we're not killing anyone," Sam told him sharply. "We find Beck and Cooper and get out. Got it?"

"Fine," he grumbled with an eye roll.

"Why do they have three weather control towers?" Evan pointed them out.

"Whatever the reason, it can't be good," Kevin said darkly.

"And Cooper and Beck are stuck in the middle," Carter said grimly.

"The cloaking field covers the entire city," Evan noted. "Does Beck have a generator that can power this place?"

"Only in theory," Charlie explained. "It's supposed to use carbon as a power source, but he never got around to building it. Chances are Cooper's being used to help him build it."

"Everybody down!" Gwen hissed suddenly. Everyone ducked their heads as three hover carts flew past them, DNAliens in the riding seat. Ben was the first to speak.

"With that cloaking shield up these guys don't have to worry about anyone seeing them build that thing." He pointed to the colossally large arch that covered the city from one end to the other. It was probably taller than the Empire State Building.

"You still got a fix on Cooper?" Ben asked Gwen. She nodded. He turned to Charlie. "There's a good chance Beck's with him."

"Way ahead of you." Charlie got out his holo-map. "He's not far. Anyone know a way we can get through these guys?"

"Gwen, you know any spells like that?" Kevin asked guilelessly.

"They're not spells," she said through gritted teeth.

"That's a no then."

"No worries," Carter suddenly said. "Just follow my lead." She ran out from behind the hiding spot. The Pride followed suit with the other four in tow, since the Goth had run out rather suddenly. They followed her past some occupied DNAliens to behind a house and into an alley of sorts.

Carter stopped suddenly and held out an arm. With it she grabbed Ben by the arm and she hissed, "Shadows!" She grabbed Charlie's hand and all three of them melted into the blackness. Evan grabbed Gwen by the waist and Sam grabbed Kevin's hand and did the same.

Just in time too. A DNAlien was directing his coworker to dock where they were standing, and on the other side of the alley DNAliens were riding their hover carts past them. It wasn't until the cart was docked on the ground and the aliens completely gone did they slip the shadows off them.

"That was so creepy!" Gwen hissed at Evan while Kevin shot Sam a scared look. Ben was about to show his discomfort when he noticed that Charlie hadn't let go of Carter's hand, even though her hand had slackened its hold on him. He glared at the boy who shot him a confused look.

Gwen's eyes glowed pink and she led them out into the open, near a laboratory. Sam quickly picked the lock and shoved everyone inside. It gave Ben the chance to swat Charlie on the back on the head. He gave a yelp and let go of Carter to hold his aching head.

Sam closed the door behind her as Gwen walked through the halls in a trance. She put a hand on each of the many doors in the hall, frowning as each one didn't show Cooper on her mana tracking radar.

As they walked down the hallway, Kevin said, "Why don't we just call out, 'Hey, Cooper'?"

"And have four thousand DNAliens crawling up our butts?" Ben shot back. "Good plan."

Gwen stood at the final door at the end of the hall. "This is it," she said with an air of finality. Ben put a hand to the tricked out lock.

"And if there's four thousand DNAliens behind that door?" Kevin asked. "Good plan."

And then they heard the sounds of fighting. Metal was being struck against metal, bodies were slammed against the floor, and the sounds of righteous fists breaking bones echoed through the hallway.

"WHO'S YOUR MASTER MECHANIC NOW, BITCH?!" a young, deep male voice screamed on the other side of the door.

"Don't touch that, it's sensitive!" a meek voice responded.

"BITE ME!"

Kevin chose that moment to absorb the metal of the door and knock it down. He stood over the fallen door in a fighting pose, yelling, "What's going on?!"

A young Hispanic boy was panting over the fallen bodies of two DNAliens. He was lean-built and wearing a black t-shirt with olive green cargo pants and a bright yellow tool belt strapped to his waist. He had an elfin face, slender with mischievous brown eyes and a single pointed ear to match. Only now his eyes were as crazy as his brown Jewish afro.

And then he stood up straight and grinned. "Hi, Sam, Charlie!" Only he was looking at Sam the whole time.

"Where's Cooper?" Gwen asked concerned. Out popped the overweight kid they were looking for. Blonde hair styled in an awful haircut, intelligent blue eyes set against a pudgy face, he looked like the stereotypical fat gamer nerd. This was coupled by his horrible taste in clothing: black shorts with a gray t-shirt and a purple wife-beater with a number three on it.

"Did you really have to beat them up?" Cooper asked Beck in an irritated tone.

"They were going to beat me up!" he countered. He held up some gold metal. "All because of some Farsympian metal."

And then Cooper got a look at Gwen and all animosity was forgotten. "Gwen! You totally came to my rescue!"

"Do you not see me standing over these guys?" Beck gestured to the groaning bodies beneath him.

Sam took that moment to say, "Where'd Charlie go?" And then Kevin got doused with frigid water right in the face. He blinked, shocked, as the water slid off his metal armor.

Charlie was standing next to him, an empty metal bucket in his hands. He smiled sweetly and said, "I don't like you dating my sister."

* * *

><p><em>Before you ask, yes, Beck is based off Leo Valdez from Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus series. Only my version of him is a lot more angrier, as you can clearly see.<em>

_One of the things Alien Force added is Cooper's crush on Gwen. As far as I know, Cooper never showed any amorous feelings for her when they were kids. So, to make fun of it, I made all the girls in the chapter the object of a certain boy's affection. XD_

_So, thoughts anyone?_


	41. Wartime Sparks

Chapter 41: Wartime Sparks

_Since I'm uploading on Saturday, that means my schedule is back to normal. At least, for the time being. -.-'_

_At **tploy**: Thanks for the insight on Ben 10 VS. the Negative Ten! Unfortunately, while re-watching the episode, I really didn't see how Cooper has a crush on Gwen. True, I see some hints, but not enough to warrant such an amorous reaction in Alien Force. Sorry to disappoint._

_At **Streetfirre**: Ah, a new writer! Sorry I didn't PM you this; I didn't actually get your review until just this morning! Anyway, to be honest, uploading stories is fairly easy. On your account, you go under the **Publish** column, click **Doc Manager**, and under Create New Document, you label your story title, file upload it or paste it from a word document, choose your format, then submit it. After proofreading your story, you go under** Publish** again, press **New Story**, then follow the directions there. After uploading, it'll take a while for the story to come up-about 30 minutes or so. If your story has multiple chapters, you upload the chapters in Doc Manager, then you click on your story, click **Content/Chapters**, click **Post New Chapter**, type in the chapter title, then upload it. Hope this helps!_

_Warning: for any Beck fans out there, you will most likely dislike/hate him in this chapter. I'M SO SORRY._

* * *

><p>"You two are <em>dating<em>?" Beck's shrill question hung through the air as Carter removed the excess water from Kevin's face.

"Yep," Sam said callously to Beck's enraged face.

"And you didn't tell me?"

"You're stuck in your lab twenty-four hours a day. When was I supposed to tell you?"

Beck opened his mouth to answer, but then he closed it when he realized he couldn't. He fumed instead, steam literally billowing out from the top of his head. It was quite the comical sight.

Charlie meekly turned to Carter, who was absorbing water into her skin. "You aren't dating anyone, are you?"

"Yes, I am," she answered. She jerked a thumb at Ben, who waved and said, "Hi."

Charlie sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Figures."

Cooper took a look at angry Beck and dejected Charlie and said, "How are you two friends?"

"Same way Carter and Sam are," Evan said cheerfully before turning serious. "So what's our next plan of attack?"

"Go out there and bust heads," Beck growled as he made his way towards the door. Evan grabbed his shoulder and turned him around so he faced him.

"No, that's stupid. You're getting out of here," Evan ordered, glaring at the boy.

Beck jerked out of his grasp and growled, "I'm too angry; I need to take my anger out on someone."

"I say let him," Kevin said in a neutral tone. "He's heartbroken and frustrated. Knocking a few heads together might calm him down a little."

"That's a stupid idea and you know it," Gwen snapped at him. "What if he gets captured again? Our rescue attempt would have been pointless."

"It kind of already was." Sam pointed to the two unconscious DNAliens on the floor.

"I still need saving," Cooper pointed out, giving Gwen doe eyes.

"He's got a point," Charlie spoke up. "How about this: I take Cooper out of here using shadow travel while you guys find out what that arch is. Something tells me it's really bad and you need to put a stop to it."

"Sounds fair," Evan agreed. "One question though. Why, exactly, were you guys kidnapped?"

"My carbon generator," Beck began. "It's basically a way to turn ordinary carbon into a fuel source. The theory is sound, but there's no way of making it. Not yet, anyway. Why are you here?" He turned to Cooper. He flinched at his rough tone.

"I built the cloaking projector they're using. And they wanted me to use these Varsidium metals to build something." He held up a piece of metal that looked suspiciously like gold.

Kevin took it into his hands and examined it. "Kind of looks like the metal covering that arch we saw."

"So they've got you working on the arch," Gwen simplified. "Now we know your purpose."

"Doesn't that mean he knows how to break it then?" Charlie wondered out loud. Everyone turned to Cooper, who just shrugged his shoulders.

"In that case he has to come with us," Carter said with a sigh. "So much for rescuing."

"At least we get to beat people up," Beck said almost happily. "And isn't that what matters?" She gave him a look.

"You're totally going to crazy out there, aren't you?"

He gave an indignant scoff. "Like I can go crazy," he said as his left ear was suddenly lit on fire. It was only a small flame, but it encompassed his entire ear and made smoke waft to the ceiling.

Beck noticed everyone staring and said, "What?"

"Your…your ear is on fire," Gwen pointed out awkwardly. Beck patted his right ear.

"It's the other one," Cooper said just as awkwardly. Beck swatted at that one until the flame went out.

"Is it gone?"

"Uh-huh," Kevin said.

"Well okay then, let's go."

* * *

><p>"Dude, get a treadmill," Beck snapped at a wheezing Cooper outside the lab. Said wheezing boy had his hands on his knees. He was still staring at Gwen though.<p>

"We can't stay long," Ben said seriously. "It's only a matter of time before the DNAliens find out Cooper's missing."

"And it's only a matter of time before we're caught," Carter pointed out. "Unless we can slip through the cloaking generator undetected, that is."

"And we should probably destroy that arch while we're at it," Sam interjected.

"Or at least a weather tower or two," Evan said.

"None of you are helping!" Ben snapped at them. "Our mission is to get Cooper out of here! We can come back later and destroy everything."

"Can't we just do a massive shadow trip?" Charlie pointed out. "We got what, five, six Slayers here? If we all pool in our powers we can slip out to the outside of the shield no problem."

Carter, Sam, and Evan all collectively face palmed.

"Who are they?" a hissing voice sounded from behind them. They all whirled around to see a gang of DNAliens in front of them.

"Well, this is fan-tucking-fastic," Ben said caustically. But as he put a palm over the Omnitrix, Beck lashed out at the aliens with a fiery fist. It collided with a head, which popped off its neck. A second flaming fist slammed through an alien's chest, incinerating the insides. The third had its neck broken by a single roundhouse kick.

Beck quickly wiped the blood off his hands and said, "I feel better now."

Everyone stared in stupefied silence. There was a certain degree of horror intermingled with businesslike annoyance. The spell wasn't broken until Kevin joked:

"You really busted some heads."

Beck arched an eyebrow. "That was kind of the point."

"You just killed them in cold blood!" Gwen shrieked more outraged than terrified now. The young boy was simply so callous at his wanton destruction. He simply killed three people-_aliens_- without a second thought. And it was all to blow off some steam.

Charlie walked up to the bodies and said, "One's still twitching." He slammed his sneaker on the neck of the alien, and they could all here the sickening crunch of broken bones in the air.

"You-you guys are murderers," Cooper said, hiding behind Kevin.

Beck and Charlie stared at him. "They were going to kill us," Beck said, as if Cooper were slow.

"But you didn't have to kill them!"

"But they were going to kill us," Beck repeated.

Carter pinched the bridge of her nose and snapped, "Can we keep moving? What's done is done. We have a mission to complete."

And then they heard the sounds of more hissing in front of them. Outraged screams of the DNAliens hung through the air as they spied their fallen brethren. They were surrounding them, fingers like claws, single eyes narrowed in hatred.

Carter groaned. "Scratch that. You take Cooper and find that generator shield. We'll handle this." When Ben didn't move-he was still staring at the smoldering bodies-Carter pushed him. He staggered on his feet before running away with the others.

"They're so going to hate us for this," Evan said blithely as the DNAliens tightened the circle around the five.

"Maybe we can reason with them," Sam pointed out almost hopefully.

Carter smiled ruefully. "They're emotional people; we'll never get through to them."

With that they attacked.

Fire licked the ground as Sam ran over it, hair ablaze. Earth rumbled as Evan ducked to the ground. A wave of water washed over the enemy as Carter controlled it coldly. Beck and Charlie were back to back, fists of flame brought up in a defensive move. They grinned at the enemy before launching themselves at them.

Fists collided with faces. Fire burned through skin. Water drowned the victims. And earth swallowed aliens in a hole of misery. Blood flowed everywhere, a river of gore reaching out of the circle of hell.

A few DNAliens tried to escape. A wall of earth was brought before them, a tall structure that reached the roofs of the surrounding buildings. Sam stood behind them. She was covered head to foot in slime and blood. A nasty gash was on her cheek, blood dribbling onto the ground.

"Have mercy!" one of the trapped aliens cried. Sam sucked in a breath and blew out a roar of fire at them. The three aliens screamed in pain as the fire incinerated them, melting their bones until they died. Three lumps of charred flesh were all that remained.

The hole that opened up from the ground was pulling in DNAliens like a sand trap. Dirt was gripping their feet, toppling them over and sucking them into the sink hole. They screamed as the dirt smothered them, filling their mouths with earth as they drowned. Over by the side, Evan was nursing the large wound applied to his stomach.

Pain coursed out of Carter's face. She could tell that her nose was broken in one, maybe two places. That didn't stop her from bringing her hands up and controlling the DNAliens in front of her. Their blood turned against them, their nerves betraying them as the aliens stood stock still before their arms contorted. And then their heads went to the side in an awkward angle, the bones snapping before the bodies were dropped to the ground.

Beck and Charlie were pummeling the last DNAlien, pounding its face inside out before the fight went out of it. They stood up, drenched in green goo and blood. They were smiling.

"Well, I feel better," Beck said cheerfully. Charlie surveyed the carnage and looked at his sister.

"Something wrong, Sam?"

She glared at Beck with utmost hatred and said, "_You need help_."

Beck started and then glared. "So, what, the psychotic one's telling me to get help?"

"Yes," she hissed. "And when I tell you you need help, then there's really something wrong with you."

"You totally deserved that," Charlie said to Beck's stupefied face. The redhead ran up to his sister and caught her arm. "Are you mad at me?"

"…Did you find this fun?"

"…More like satisfying," Charlie answered honestly. "I mean, they were going to kill us, so I think this is just payback. But I'm not totally happy about it."

"Good. There's still hope for you," Sam said sadly, tears brimming in her eyes. She willed them back and said loudly, "Cover the evidence, Evan."

"On it," he said. Bringing his fists in, the ground opened up beneath the bodies, blood and slime falling into the pit with them. And then the earth covered them up again, leaving only the barest traces of a struggle when the earth resettled. Carter took care of the rest by summoning more snow to cover the blood spills.

Evan took a good look at Carter's face and said, "You need to reset that."

Carter sighed and prepared the painful journey of resetting her nose.

* * *

><p>"Our friends are fucked up," Ben said in the jail cell. They had been caught by the generator. They had all fought valiantly, but it was for naught, since they were behind bars now.<p>

"Don't talk like that," Gwen chided him. "And yes, they are."

"They did warn us about that," Kevin pointed out casually. "They kept telling us that they were bad news. Not sure why you're so surprised now."

"We just saw two thirteen year old kids kill three people. Aliens. You know what I mean!" Gwen cried. "How are we supposed to take that?"

"Okay, yeah, that was disturbing," Kevin admitted. "But wasn't Evan the same way back when he was thirteen?" Gwen's shoulders fell and she slumped in her seat.

Ben sat on the ground, hugging his knees. He could still feel where Carter pushed him, but instead of feeling the usual zaps of electricity, he felt an ugly buzzing where her hands connected with him. He felt repulsed by her touch. He shouldn't feel that way.

_**You really shouldn't, you know, **_Ventus said in Ben's head. _**She was just trying to keep you safe.**_

_She killed people like that. When she was thirteen._

_**She killed people like that when she was ten. This shouldn't be a surprise.**_

And it shouldn't. Ben could see that. He had seen thirty men slain right before his eyes, and by the very people he considered his friends. But they had been sorry-or at least Carter had been. What was so different now?

"I really don't get why you're so shocked," Kevin stated, forcing Ben and Gwen to wake up from their stupor. Gwen glared at him.

"Your girlfriend is an accessory to murder. How are you not surprised?"

"Because we're talking about the DNAliens here," he explained. "We're at war, Gwen. Whatever happens to those DNAliens is just collateral damage."

"Collateral?!" Now Ben was yelling. "It's inhuman!"

"So is war," Kevin said bluntly. "Humans have been doing the same thing for thousands of years. The only difference here is that we're fighting a war against aliens." When he saw their unconvinced faces, he added, "What Beck did to those DNAliens was the same thing they were going to do to us: kill us and get on with their lives. It just makes sense to do the same to them."

When he saw that he was getting to them, he said, "I know this is hard for you guys to accept, but you gotta face facts: one day you're going to have to take a life. It may not be now, but it will happen one day. Until then we keep on fighting."

"We know that!" Gwen and Ben snapped in cadence. The fight drained out of them rapidly, leaving them slumped and dejected in their seats. "We know that…"

_**But they're your friends, and you thought they were harmless despite all their talk, **_Ventus said in Ben's head. He gave an irritated sigh. _**You can deal with this later. Right now you gotta get out of this cell.**_

Ben agreed; he didn't like the idea of Carter being a murderer. It simply went against the image he had of her. The murderer image went against all of them, in fact. But Ventus had a point. Now was the time to act like a team and get the hell out of this jail cell.

Ben got up from the floor and asked, "Does anyone know how we're getting out of here?"

* * *

><p>"Think we can take out the arch?" Carter asked Evan as they hid in a building. Her nose was no longer broken, but it was still badly bruised.<p>

"Doubtful," Evan said as he finished tying the bandage on his stomach. "That thing stretches over the entire base. Taking it out right now would take too much time. I say take out the weather towers and deal with the arch later."

"If there'll be a later," Sam said pessimistically. Carter glared at her.

"Pessimism's my thing. Don't steal."

"So how are we taking out the weather towers?" Charlie asked before things could get out of hand.

"Those things are built like statues," Beck pointed out. "It's going to take a lot of manpower to take out just one of them. And no doubt they'll be heavily guarded."

"But we just took out a good chunk of their forces," Charlie protested.

"Dude, there are a lot of DNAliens here and at least one High Breed," Beck said. "We can't take out one weather tower without all five of us working together."

"Dude, we're the Pride," Carter scoffed. "We don't need your help."

"Where would the High Breed be?" Sam inquired wiping blood off her cheek. "If it's at one of the weather towers we can just take that one and leave Beck and Charlie to deal with the others."

"You do know that we can't topple a weather tower, right?" Charlie pointed out. "We don't have that much strength yet."

"Actually, I have a plan," Evan began. "The Pride will go where the High Breed is and take it out along with a weather tower. You guys go to another and force it offline. If it loses power it's still a setback for the DNAliens. We'll meet at the final weather tower to finish the job."

"Track the High Breed and let the sparks fly." Sam was smirking, a certain glint in her eyes. She was exhausted; the gash on her cheek was bothering her, but the idea of dominating against the enemy filled her with pure, sweet adrenaline.

Evan grinned and put a hand over his stomach wound. It was minor now thanks to Carter's healing powers, but it still sent shockwaves of pain through his body if he moved too much. He'd have to suck it up for the upcoming fight. He put his free hand on the ground and let it glow green.

He sent his feelers out, letting them cover the military base. His vision was black but he could make out the white stencil designs that created the picture. He could feel the vibrations of people walking about-he recognized three of them running around the base-and he could sense the DNAliens milling about. But there was one malevolent presence that nearly overtook everything, and it was at-

"The eastern weather tower!" Evan opened his eyes and looked at the grim faces before him.

"We'll take the western and meet you guys in the middle," Beck said before he and Charlie sunk to the floor and disappeared. The Pride took one look at each other before turning into shadows themselves.

* * *

><p>It didn't take long to get to the eastern weather tower. The High Breed was certainly there; he was ordering his troops around like the leader he was. Only this time he seemed annoyed, like something was interrupting his plans. Something like a group of humans.<p>

"I got big and ugly," Sam declared. "You guys take out the rest." Carter and Evan went first, using the shadows to get in the middle of the fray. It wasn't long until the limbs started to fly. DNAliens shrieked in anger before going to attack the teenagers, since the teens couldn't fight in the shadows. The High Breed was yelling, telling his subordinates to get them before they took out the weather tower.

He never saw Sam coming.

She slid out of the darkness and grabbed his leg. The High Breed fell to his knees, toppling over himself. Sam gripped his ankle and lifted him sideways. Her muscles were straining, her wounds were screaming, her eyes were glowing red.

The High Breed slammed into the weather tower, his back arching backwards to connect with the base. The base rang out like a bell, wobbling from the impact. It sagged slightly, leaning just a little to the side.

Sam groaned and lifted the High Breed over her shoulder like a baseball bat. With an animalistic howl she slammed the High Breed into the tower again. She could hear something breaking-bones? Metal?

A crack appeared in the middle of the weather tower. The base splintered apart. Slowly, ever so slowly, the tower fell backwards.

"TIMBER!" Sam yelled at the top of her lungs and the tower toppled over with a colossal crash. Dust and wood fragments from crushed buildings lifted into the air before slowly setting themselves on the ground.

"Sam!" Carter cried out. Sam turned to see DNAliens running after her, their angry yells reaching her ears. She lifted the High Breed into the air and threw it on top of them. With a final _THUD _the last of the DNAliens were defeated.

"Hey, look!" Evan pointed to the western weather tower. Sparks were flying out of it and smoke was billowing from the top.

"Beck and Charlie never disappoint," Sam said almost fondly.

"Okay, guys, just one more tower and we're outta here," Carter said optimistically.

"Hey, optimism's my thing," Evan pointed out. "Don't steal."

Sam barked out a laugh as they fell to the shadows once more.

* * *

><p>The final weather tower was devoid of DNAliens. This was worrisome.<p>

"The hell happened here?" Evan asked rhetorically as he surveyed the deserted scene.

"Maybe they're at the generator," Carter said logically. "Ben's team could be trying to destroy it right now."

"Then we better destroy this first," Sam said. "They might need help."

"Way ahead of you," Beck voice wafted over them. He and Charlie were by the control panel at the base of the tower. Beck had the panel open and was fiddling with its insides. Instantly the top of the weather tower exploded with a fit of sparks and smoke.

"Take it down?" Carter asked the other two.

"Take it down," Evan said.

"Get out of the way!" Sam shouted at the two boys. They ran for cover while the Pride stood at the base. Three sets of hands were pushing against the tower. Their arms were screaming in protest but they persevered. The tower was uprooted and it rapidly fell down, down, narrowly missing the derelict houses next to it.

And then the air fizzled around them, an electromagnetic pulse spreading out. The snow stopped falling, and the moon peaked out of the clouds.

"The cloaking shield's offline," Beck announced. "They must have gotten to it."

"Let me see what's going on." Evan touched a glowing hand to the ground, letting the white stencil designs play at the back of his eyelids. He could make out the forms of Ben, Gwen, Kevin, and even Cooper running. They were surrounded by DNAliens-there were a good hundred left- and they were running towards the entrance. They madly dashed to the car, getting inside as Kevin started the engine. The aliens were upon them-they were reaching at the doors-

And then Kevin sped off into the distance, leaving the aliens in his wake.

"They destroyed the generator, but they were attacked by an army of DNAliens," Evan finally explained. "They had to escape with Cooper before they were killed."

"They just left us?!" Beck cried incredulously.

"They didn't have a choice," Evan insisted. "Besides, we're Slayers. We can escape from here no problem."

"And I don't think Kevin would appreciate us destroying the seats," Sam pointed out. "I mean, look at us. We're covered in blood and slime." She picked at her mutilated skirt for emphasis.

"We should probably leave now," Charlie remarked. "The aliens will be coming back to assess the damage any minute."

"We should leave a trail in the sky, to make sure they know we're okay," Evan said, referring to Ben's team.

"If they still care," Carter said grimly. Nevertheless, she and the others summoned their wings and launched themselves into the air. They streaked across the night sky, Sam in the middle, Beck to the far left, Charlie to the far right. The three of them became human torches as they flew over to the city.

* * *

><p>"So let me get this straight," Cooper began. "There's an entire division of Plumbers that no one knows about?"<p>

"They're called Slayers," Gwen said. "They're like this shadowy organization that deals with insider politics that normal Plumbers can't get to."

"They fight nefarious criminals with nefarious criminals," Kevin elaborated.

"So those two kids are Slayers?" Cooper asked. He was obviously referring to Beck and Charlie. "How?"

"Apparently you're born into the organization," Ben said. "They train you from the time you're born to be perfect killing machines. It's one of the reasons their separate organizations."

"So why are we teaming up now?"

"'Cuz the DNAliens are a threat to everyone and the Plumbers need all the help they can get," Gwen explained.

"Hey, what's that?" Cooper pointed out the window. Everyone shifted their gaze to the sky, where three streaks were flying through. The flames illuminated the forms of five bodies before the light was swallowed by the rising sun.

"Think they're mad we left them behind?" Kevin asked anxiously.

"Those guys seem logical," Cooper pointed out. "If we explain it to them, they'll understand."

Gwen gave him a look. "How do you know they're logical?"

Cooper shrugged. "Leaving people behind to save their own skins has survival written all over it. How else do you explain them killing those DNAliens?"

"You called them murderers before," Kevin noted.

"I was in shock."

"So they're doing this for their own survival?" Ben muttered under his breath. He never thought of it that way before.

"You say somethin'?" Kevin asked.

"Nothing. It's not important." But it was. Because it explained so much more.

* * *

><p><em>I always figured Kevin as having the most worldly views in the original group. He's a crook hardened from his time in the Null Void; obviously he's seen things that Ben and Gwen could only imagine. And because I think Kevin is a child prodigy-he may have dropped out of school early on, but he still understands astrophysics and alien technology- he would be the most logical in the group concerning wartime. <em>

_As for the Slayer fight scenes, I'm quite proud of them. I really think I did a good job on them, but I would like some feedback. So could you guys leave a review telling me what you think?_


	42. Even the Mighty are Human (Sort of)

Chapter 42: Even the Mighty are Human (Sort of)

Beck and Charlie, the only two who weren't Pride members, were sent to Beck's house since he had the best healing pods aside from the Slayers. The Pride found themselves back in Isaac's study, standing to attention. Considering their immediate medical needs, they weren't particularly happy about that.

"It's been a long day, Cordelia," Carter snapped at the femme fatale. "Can't we hold off on this until tomorrow?"

"No, I'm afraid it can't," Cordelia said, annoyed. Her white hair was in its loose braid, and instead of her corset dress she was wearing her black suit and skirt combination and a white lab coat. Isaac was dressed in his normal business suit because he was posh like that.

"We found a DNAlien war ship just a few galaxies away," Isaac continued. "Your mission is to destroy it before it moves again."

"An actual war ship?" Sam asked incredulously. "Just one?"

"This has 'trap' written all over it," Evan pointed out.

"We sent Ezekiel as a scout, and he confirms that it's a war ship," Cordelia explained.

The Pride groaned. "You sent out Zeke?" Carter whined. "But he's such an asshole!"

"He may be an unsavory character, but he does his job well," Cordelia snapped at them. "You have one hour in the healing tanks before we teleport you to the ship. Don't waste time." With that dismissal, the Pride left, grumbling as they closed the doors.

"What's with the attitude?" Isaac asked blithely. "You're in an unusually bad mood."

"It's the reaction Ben's team had to Beck and Charlie," Cordelia explained. "I figured it would be bad, but I can't gauge how bad it is." Her eyes brimmed with the thousand calculations whirling through her mind.

"It seems all three were shocked by the events," Isaac surmised. "Kevin got over it, but Gwen and Ben are wild cards here."

"I understand that, but why is Ben so indecisive?" Cordelia mused. "He saw the three of them kill a bunch of people back when they were all ten. Why is it so different now?"

"Because all this time the Pride has shown remorse over what they were doing," Isaac said. "Even if they wouldn't stop, they still felt some sorrow over the people they killed. Beck and Charlie didn't."

"Beck and Charlie are acting like proper Slayers," Cordelia said haughtily. "We may need to retrain the Pride."

"And risk destroying the fragile alliance we created with the Plumbers?" Isaac raised an eyebrow.

She sighed defeated. "I guess there's not much we can do."

He gently grabbed her hand and rubbed little circles on the back of it. He gazed at her affectionately and said, "We'll work it out. We always do."

Her hardened features softened, melting into a soft smile. Her eyes glittered as they drooped half closed. For a second she looked like a different person, not as a strict matriarch but as a real person.

For a moment, they both allowed themselves to be human.

* * *

><p><em>Don't blame them too much. I think there's more to this than meets the eye. All of you need to give each other a chance to explain. How are we supposed to defeat the DNAliens together if we can't communicate?<em>

Such wise words from such a young boy. Cooper was only fifteen, yet he understood the world better than most kids his age. Funny, seeing as how he was always locked up in his lab.

Those very words echoed through the car as Kevin sped towards the Valentine manor. The base of operations eventually loomed over them. They all stared at it as Kevin parked in the driveway.

"So are we actually goin' in or what?" Kevin asked as the three of them stepped onto the driveway.

"We are," Ben said anxiously. "I'm just not happy to talk Cordelia, is all." He gave a weak chuckle.

Gwen strode up to the house like a woman on a mission. "We should talk to Cordelia. I'm giving her a piece of my mind whether she wants to hear it or not!"

"Gwen," Kevin warned. She whirled around. "Your powers are going out of whack."

Gwen looked down to see the bright pink energy encircling her hands. She concentrated and it disappeared. With a sheepish look at their disapproving faces she pushed open the door and walked inside. The boys hurried after her.

As the giant door closed loudly, they adjusted their eyes to the dim lighting. The giant painting of Cordelia and Isaac was still hanging there. In this light, Cordelia's smile looked evil and shark-like.

And then they heard the sounds of footsteps hurrying down the stairs. It was teenage boy in jeans and a simple white t-shirt. He had a thin, pointed face with highlighted blonde hair and sky blue eyes. His face showed off his anger, making it look even more severe.

Zeke Carmichael stopped short of the team, lost in thought until that very moment. He eyed Ben coolly, his cousin giving him the same exact look.

"Ben."

"Zeke."

"Who's the jerk?" Kevin muttered. In the large room it echoed, so Zeke could hear it. The blonde scowled.

"This is Zeke, my cousin," Ben said. Gwen and Kevin gave looks of surprise and looked back and forth between the two.

Gwen took the initiative; she walked up to Zeke and held out a hand. "Hi, I'm Gwen, your other cousin."

Zeke eyed her before tentatively taking her hand. When he figured out there was no catch, he shook it properly.

"I'm Zeke Carmichael, your cousin by marriage," he said pleasantly. "I'm surprised someone so polite came from Ben's side of the family."

"You do realize that Gwen and I are blood related, right?" Ben pointed out.

"Don't remind me," Zeke said with a shudder. He turned back to Gwen. "May I ask what you're doing here?"

"We're here to see Cordelia," she said. "Do you know where she is?"

His eyes bugged out and he took a step back. "What do you need with her?"

"Gwen wants to talk to her," Kevin piped up.

"_You_ want to talk to _Cordelia_?" Zeke cried out. "What's wrong with you?"

"Don't talk to my cousin like that!" Ben got in the middle of the two of them and glared at Zeke. "What's wrong with _you_?"

"Hello? She willingly wants to talk to Cordelia. That rings a few warning bells."

"Actually, it's less talk, more yelling at her," Gwen admitted.

"In that case, give me your home address so I can send flowers to your family after Cordelia _utterly destroys you_."

"Are you threatenin' her?" Now it was Kevin's turn to get all up in Zeke's face.

"No, I'm warning her," he elaborated. "Cordelia doesn't take that kind of talk. Haven't you heard the stories?"

"Can't say I have," Ben said. Zeke gave a long suffering sigh.

"Well, you can't talk to her. She's at work right now. But Isaac's still here. I trust you know where his study is." He fixed Ben with a look full of contempt. Ben returned it.

"We do know," he said, knocking into his shoulder as he walked past. "Don't wait up."

As they hurried out of the grand hall and into the living room, Gwen asked, "Zeke really seems to hate you. What happened between you two?"

"Apparently everyone thought he'd be the vessel for Ventus," Ben explained tersely. "Long story short he hasn't forgiven me for stealing all his glory."

"So he just hates you?" Kevin said. "That's good to know."

"How?"

"Well, you're always saying we need to build a bigger team…" His shit-eating grin was stretching across his face.

"Oh, hell no," Ben growled as they stopped in front of Isaac's study. Gwen raised a hand to knock on the door, only to have them swing open suddenly. They slid towards the opposite walls with a soft thud.

Isaac was sitting behind his chair, writing in a dusty leather bound journal. He put down the fountain pen and smiled warmly at the three of them.

"Welcome back you three! I thought you might be showing up soon." He snapped his fingers and three ornate chairs appeared out of thin air. "Sit down we have a lot to discuss."

The three of them did just that. The doors closed behind them and out of habit they turned to look at them. It was strange, not seeing their friends guarding it.

"Missing them already?" Isaac clucked his tongue. "What with the way you recently treated them I figured you didn't care."

"Technically we didn't do anything to them," Kevin pointed out. "We had to leave them pretty quickly after they pushed us out of the way."

"Oh, I wasn't talking about you trying to save Cooper," Isaac said dismissively. "I'm referring to you three leaving them at the DNAlien base without even trying to reach them."

"We had no choice!" Ben protested. "We were being swarmed by DNAliens, we had to escape!"

"And during that car ride, did you ever try contacting them to see how they were?"

Everyone looked at each other guiltily, since they hadn't thought of doing that. So consumed in anger, it slipped their minds.

Isaac took pity on them. "Before I go into on how disappointed I am in you, let's get this over with: Gwen, you wanted to yell at me about something?"

Gwen started and looked sheepishly at Isaac. "Not you, Cordelia. And how'd you know?"

"Cordelia's not in right now, you'll have to stick with me instead. And never doubt Slayer intelligence," he added. "It's just not worth it."

"In that case, what were you thinking?!" Gwen yelled at him. "How can you teach children to murder people in cold blood? It's inhuman!"

"Beck and Charlie exhibit the old Slayer mindset," Isaac calmly explained. "brutal, coldly cruel, and used to taking orders. Compared to them, the Pride is the odd one out."

"So, in other words, your brainwashing didn't work on them," Ben said triumphantly.

"Oh, they did," Isaac said. "They're still going out on the jobs we assign them, aren't they?"

"In that case, they retained their humanity," Kevin said, relieved.

"Humanity? What, exactly, is humanity?" Isaac mused. "Is it the need to cherish loved ones, give warmth and peace of mind, to love? Or is it the need to destroy, to conquer, and to survive against all odds?"

"Enough with the philosophy!" Gwen shouted. "What gives you the right to turn thirteen year old kids into monsters?"

"What gives a father in the army the right to raise his kids with military values?" Isaac countered. "He's the father, so naturally he would instill such morals. Beck and Charlie are Slayer children; it is within the parents' rights to raise them however they want."

"To make kids monsters?"

"It is technically their right to raise their children how they see fit. Though, if it gives you any peace of mind, Charlie has a good chance of retaining some humanity," Isaac said. "He's like Sam that way."

"Where _is_ Sam?" Kevin asked, arching an eyebrow. "How come she isn't here? Isn't this Slayer headquarters?"

"This is Pride HQ. The Slayer base is somewhere completely different," Isaac revealed. "And Sam is here, getting medical attention from Cordelia. You would know that already if that was the first thing you asked."

Kevin bristled under Isaac's disapproving gaze. It wasn't like he didn't wonder-it had constantly been on his mind-but other things got in the way. And he knew Sam would pull through. She was built tough. She wouldn't go down so easily. But not asking first thing made him seem like a huge jerk, and that was something Kevin didn't want as a label.

"Medical attention? Does that include Evan and Carter?" Ben asked Isaac tentatively.

"What do you think?"

"How bad is it?" Gwen asked concerned. Whatever anger she felt for Isaac and Cordelia faded for the moment.

"Why are you asking? I thought you didn't care."

"We never said we didn't care!" Gwen shouted, her anger flaring back.

"So you only ask when it's convenient for you. That's just like a Slayer." Isaac almost smiled. Almost. "Slayers are selfish creatures, just like humans. Don't act so self-righteous."

The sheer contempt Isaac was throwing her way made the words Gwen was about to say die on her lips. Bile rose in her throat and she averted her eyes. Shame was welling up inside her; how many times had she berated herself for taking her anger out on Evan for things he couldn't control? She was doing the exact same thing here. Except…

"But don't you know better?" Gwen countered. "You're a parent. You should know not to raise your kids into killing machines."

Isaac shrugged. "It's the way the Slayers survived all these years. It's tradition."

"It's a disturbing tradition," Kevin muttered under his breath.

Ben raised his hand like he was in class. "I have a question."

"Yes, Ben?" Isaac answered like a teacher.

"What you said earlier, about surviving. How does that apply here?"

"A very good question, Benjamin," Isaac said approvingly. "I'm sure you've heard about Charles Darwin and the survival of the fittest. It's the core of Slayer teachings."

"How?" Ben asked incredulously.

"What are the absolute dregs of society? The murderers, the rapists, the vile politicians. They are the bottom feeders of the food chain. They thrive when they shouldn't. So we take care of them."

"You mean kill them off," Kevin deadpanned.

"Precisely. People like that should not survive. Their society doesn't want them to survive. So we kill them off to make sure the good people in the world live and breed to make more good people. It's simply nature."

"You can't just put murder in the same league as Darwinism," Gwen protested.

"And yet I just did. Take it or leave it, Gwendolyn. But know this: your friends have been raised with this mindset. They feel bad when certain people are killed off, but on the whole they feel nothing. They are simply doing their duty and advancing society." Isaac leaned back in his chair, arching his fingertips together. He looked at each stupefied, confused face and allowed his words to sink in for a moment.

"I…can't disagree," Kevin said.

"It makes a twisted kind of sense," Ben admitted.

Gwen fumed, trying to find a loophole in the argument. Eventually she gritted her teeth and spat out, "I don't like it."

"I never said you had to. You just have to accept that this is the way things are," Isaac said solemnly.

The doors suddenly burst open, banging against the wall with a crash. Startled, everyone turned to front of the room. Standing in the doorway was a furious Zeke.

"ARE YOU INSANE?!" he screamed, striding up to Isaac's desk. The man in question looked at him innocently.

"What are you talking about, Ezekiel?"

"You're sending them on a mission _now_?!" Zeke cried. "They need to be in the hospital! Sending them out now is suicide!"

"They're the Pride and their mission is simple. They need to do this now or it will be too late," Isaac said calmly.

"What's going on?" Ben asked Zeke concerned.

Forgetting about their feud, he answered: "It's the Pride. After they came back they had horrible wounds and had to be put into the healing pods. They only had an hour but it's too soon for them to be out. And _you_ sent them out knowing that!" He turned to Isaac, pure hatred in his voice.

"An hour is more than enough for them," Isaac said coolly.

"Evan had a hole in his stomach! He needs bed rest!"

Kevin grabbed Zeke's shoulder and whirled him around. "Evan had a hole in his stomach?" he parroted back.

"_Yes!_" Zeke emphasized before turning back to Isaac. "What were you thinking?"

"We were thinking, 'Lone DNAlien warship, let's blow it up!'" Isaac said comically. His expression was sober though.

"You found a DNAlien warship?" Gwen parroted.

"And you sent them out even though they were injured?" Ben asked outraged.

"They're the Pride, they've been through worse," Isaac said dismissively.

Kevin threw himself over the desk and grabbed Isaac by the collar. Anger seethed out of him as he breathed deeply through gritted teeth.

"_Send them back!"_

Despite his strangled position, Isaac eyed him calmly. He then brought a hand up and snapped his fingers. Instantly the sound of Kevin's heavy breathing ceased even though everyone could still see him seethe. Confused, Kevin slowly pried his fingers off of Isaac and snapped his fingers. They could all see him snap three fingers together, yet there was no sound.

Kevin mouthed something, most likely, 'What did you do to me?' Isaac straightened his collar and fell back in his chair. He leaned an elbow on the armrest and brought a fist to his cheek. He looked almost bored.

"I've cut off the sound around you," he explained. "You can still hear us, but you can't talk back. Or make any sound whatsoever. It's a lot like being trapped in a black and white film actually."

"That's insane," Zeke eked out, frightened.

"Yes, well, I have a mastery over sound in general," Isaac said blithely. "Phineas might teach you one day, Ben, if you ever get around to it."

"Forget that, fix him!" Ben cried. He watched in horror as Kevin punched the desk. The wood splintered slightly, yet there was no sound of fist hitting its target. Kevin stared in shock as he slowly backed away from the desk.

"Yes, it would do to change him back." Isaac snapped his fingers and everyone could hear the dull thud of Kevin's boots hitting the wooden floor.

"What…the hell…" he said slowly as his gruff voice returned to normal. Ben and Gwen swarmed him with hugs. He absentmindedly returned them, giving Isaac a wary eye.

"You can't send them back, can you?" Zeke said as the celebration calmed down. Ben's team turned to Isaac, crushed hope written all over their faces.

Isaac told them sadly, "They're probably already gone."

* * *

><p>Cordelia hovered over the control panel, watching the readings. She quickly typed out commands for each occupied pod, making sure each person got the right amount of treatment.<p>

She checked her watch. Newton was nearly finished. She walked over to the far side of the titanium room to the only lit pod. She wiped a hand over the top part, revealing her grandson's face. He was submerged in viscous, clear fluid, eyes closed. A breathing mask connected to a tube filtered air into mouth and nose, making sure his brain received oxygen.

Cordelia shook her head. Newt was a fool. A hopeful, kindhearted one, but still a fool. He had wanted power-a normal endeavor, given the family history-for the right reasons. He had wanted to make up for his earlier failure with the Morningstar incident, and for that Isaac had given training even Satan wouldn't condone.

But what was done was done. There was no changing the past, not if the Professor had anything to say about it. And the damage done to Newt would stay, if not physically, then mentally.

The pod began to beep. The mask unglued itself from Newt's face and slid back into the walls of the tank. The water receded slightly so that his face hovered over the surface. With great effort Newt opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Cordelia before she turned away to get his clothes.

The pod slid open and Newt sat up. Cordelia didn't have to look at him to know he was naked. She threw a clean towel at him before putting his repaired, folded clothes on the table beside the pod.

"How long was I out?" Newt asked groggily, wiping his hair with the towel.

"A few hours. The damage was severe," Cordelia answered in a business like tone. "None of it was lasting, but it'll be a few days before you can do anything strenuous."

Newt gave her a look. "Is that from the readings are you making stuff up?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Why would I lie?"

"Can't I pretend for one minute that you actually care about me?"

Cordelia gritted her teeth. She did care, honestly. Isaac would say she cared too much. What she did may be cruel, but she did it with her children's safety in mind. Teaching them early on that it was a dog-eat-dog world that would stab you and then shit all over you was a blessing in disguise.

But Newt would never understand, not truly. He didn't get the training the Pride did. Even if they didn't like it, they accepted it. But there was simply no talking to him.

"Are you going to say goodbye?" Cordelia asked, averting the subject.

Newt paused before answering. "No. They'll ask why I look sick and then I'd have to tell them. And that'd be a huge mess. It's better if I escape into the night."

Cordelia nodded. "I'll tell them you had to go back early. Get out of here in five minutes." She turned her back on him, going back to the panel. Newt quickly changed, folding the damp towel back into a square. Before he left, Cordelia said, "Remember what I said."

"I'll take it easy for a while," Newt reassured her.

"Please," Cordelia pleaded, allowing a smidge of emotion to show through. Newt stood there, surprised, before smiling slightly.

"I'll see you when I see you," he said as he shut the door.

Cordelia was about to curse herself. She couldn't afford to show unnecessary emotion. She was supposed to be heartless, only caring about getting the job done. If she showed any love to anyone, it was to Isaac and the Pride, only them and no one else.

But then she remembered Newt's broken body. She could still see the blood caked on his face, the dismantled limbs. His eyes had been filled with unshed tears, too proud to shed them. If he had, no one would have blamed them.

Newt deserved some love from her. Even if it was small, it was something.

Three other pods slid open, and three people sat up. Cordelia quickly gathered clothes and towels and handed them to their respective owners. Groaning the three teenagers quickly wiped themselves down and began to change. There was no shyness allowed at this moment. They had a job to do and they wanted it done yesterday. Besides, they had known each other so long that this kind of embarrassment was no longer a problem.

"You know your mission," Cordelia said curtly. "Get to it. It's been a long day for us all."

"It just couldn't have waited for tomorrow, could it?" Carter griped. "We couldn't have the night off."

"Of course not," Evan muttered.

"I want a few days off after this," Sam growled at Cordelia. She smirked.

"Consider it done."

Everyone stopped changing and looked at her. "R-really?" Sam stammered.

"It's true; you do deserve a break, especially after today," Cordelia admitted. "Unfortunately we don't know how long that ship is staying there, so the quicker we blow it up the better."

She dared to look them in the eye. They were smiling at each other, happy to hear the news. Work hard, play hard was their motto. It always had been that way, and Cordelia never had a problem with it.

With renewed strength they finished putting on their black outfits and fitted their masks over their faces. All of their hair was black. They're charm bracelets dangled from their left wrists. They were ready for action.

Cordelia led them to the teleporter pad. It was functional if obsolete considering the new standards. But teleporting was time and money, two things they couldn't afford to waste. Cordelia quickly set up the coordinates and the blue swirling vortex appeared.

"Any last words?" Evan joked.

"Don't die," Cordelia said. They all looked at her-she could swear they were smiling under their masks- and waved before jumping into the vortex. Once they were gone Cordelia shut it off.

Cordelia was supposed to be heartless. She was supposed to be cold and unfeeling. But everything she did have a purpose; to give the next generation a better future than the previous one. But the previous generation couldn't interfere with the new. That would simply be meddling. They had to do things on their own or they'd never learn.

But every now and then, they needed a helping hand. And Cordelia never minded lending one.

* * *

><p><em>About the whole survival thing: I hope I answered all your questions concerning it. I even gave you some food for thought. You don't have to agree with it (I don't either, not really) but it was something interesting to write about. <em>

_The last few paragraphs are a homage to Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Olivier and her brother actually talk about the last generation needing to pave a path for the next generation to follow in the final arc of the story. I kind of took that idea and morphed it into my own. Hope you like it._


	43. Walking Disasters and Sweet Revelations

Chapter 43: Walking Disasters and Sweet Revelations

_So I recently saw the Omniverse episode OTTO Motives. It had a Transformers fight. _

_I DIED FROM HAPPINESS._

_(~Transformers, robots in disguise~)_

* * *

><p>The DNAlien warship was ugly on the inside.<p>

Magenta walls covered in some sort of pulsing goop. Black egg-shaped machines jutting out of the pink sea. Yellow aliens with tentacles for heads strutting around like evil masterminds.

It took indomitable willpower not to hurl.

"What's the plan?" Sam whispered from the shadows.

"Destroy all the escape pods and blow this place sky high," Carter responded tersely. She turned her eyes toward Evan. "You got the thing?"

He held up a blue disk-the instant teleporter. "You mean our ticket out of here? Got it."

"Great," Sam said happily. "Now where are the escape pods?" Evan and Carter looked at each other before shrugging.

"So, in other words, we're just going to randomly kill DNAliens until we find them."

"That's right," Evan said cheerfully.

Sam grinned under her mask. "Sweetness."

* * *

><p>"Where are they?" Ben asked Zeke once they were outside Isaac's study. The old man had left suddenly, disappearing into thin air after telling them the Pride was gone. Zeke had ushered them out of the study; Ben took that moment to push the blonde against the wall and slam his fist next to his head in a threatening manner.<p>

Zeke looked at him, not amused. "In the Centaury galaxy, two galaxies away from Earth. Even if you had a ship you wouldn't get there in time to help them."

"Not unless we had a working teleporter pad," Kevin muttered under his breath. He had remembered the reason why they needed Cooper earlier.

"Yeah, and what are the chances of you having one?"

"Zeke," Gwen started. "Is there any way of contacting them?"

Zeke pushed Ben to the side and straightened his posture. "If there was one, I'd know about it. I was the one who scoped out the warship. Trust me, the chances of you getting a frequency to the Centaury system is one in a million."

"Then we can take the chance," Ben said optimistically.

Zeke looked at him like he was stupid. "And if you do get through, you might give them away. Face it, we can't win here."

"For someone who was so concerned about them earlier, you really like to give up," Kevin noted, eyes narrowed.

"I know a hopeless situation when I see one," Zeke pointed out. "And while I wish I could help them out, I can't. And if I can't, there's no way any of you can. Sorry," he said to Gwen, "but that's just how it is."

"Why do you want to help them out?" Ben asked curiously. "They don't like you."

Zeke gave him a bitter smile. "Because they're the people who I wanted to get along with ever since I could remember. But you wouldn't care about that. Everything was handed to you on a silver platter."

"Silver platter?" Ben parroted back. "Do you have any idea how hard I had to work with Phineas to even use my powers? Do you even know how hard it was to accept the fact that I have a guy inside my head talking to me?" His voice was too loud; he might as well have been shouting. When he saw the worried looks on his friends faces he toned it down.

Zeke belted out a rueful laugh. "But you never had to work to be friends with the Pride. You never had to convince people to listen to you. When you wanted respect people gave it to you. You never had to work hard for that, didn't you?" Unlike Ben, his voice didn't rise with emotion. Instead it lowered until it came out as a deadly hiss.

"Do you even know the Slayer hierarchy order? Evan, Sam, and Carter are going to be rulers of a grand empire. They will inherit the right to govern everyone else. Even now their words carry more weight than anyone else. I was supposed to be a part of that. I was groomed to be the vessel of Ventus since I was born. And to have that taken by some schmuck who didn't even know we existed until a few months ago, well, that's worse than a slap to a face."

Zeke walked backwards away from them, arms spread out as he walked down the hall. His grin was huge, but it was demented, full of anger and hate. His voice, still quiet, echoed through the grand hallway.

"I want a part of that glorious world I was promised. And you took away my chance. So go ahead. Go after your so-called friends. They'll just drop you like they did me." And with one last rueful grin he melted into the shadows.

A beat of horror filled silence, and then Kevin said, "Guy's got issues."

"You have no idea," Ben choked out. "I knew he hated me, but not this much. God, this hurts." He leaned against the wall for emphasis.

Gwen put a reassuring arm around his shoulders. "Don't take what he says to heart. He's obviously just bitter and angry about something neither of you could control."

"But can you blame him?" Ben said quietly.

* * *

><p>"WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE ESCAPE PODS?!" Sam screamed angrily as the DNAlien she was fighting fell. It was the fifth room, and so far it had been never ending fights and blood and gore. Sam was sick of it, and since she was the vessel of the war goddess, that was saying something.<p>

"I found them!" Carter cried out with relief. She had jammed her scythe into the pulsing pink hole in the wall to make sure it didn't close on her. Through the gap they could see the large, empty port full of purple escape pods. They could also see Evan at one of the many controls, fiddling with the buttons until the entire panel short circuited.

The other six identical panels fizzled with electricity at the same time the first panel went up in flames. For a second there was lightning and smoke in the air. And then Evan appeared through the gap in the wall. He grabbed the scythe and the hole filled itself.

Carter took her scythe back and said, "They've all been destroyed?"

Evan clapped his hands as if to clean them and said, "Destroyed like my stepmom's garden after my tenth birthday."

"We never should have gotten you that chemistry set," Sam noted as the exhaustion began to set in. The three of them were tired; blood and guts were dripping from their bodies for the second time that day. Their arms trembled from holding weapons for too long. Their brains were too frazzled to work properly.

With one final act of bravado, Carter said resolutely, "Let's blow this warship."

* * *

><p>"So these are healing pods?" Gwen marveled the scientific machines in the Valentine basement. "And they basically heal anything from holes in guts to broken bones."<p>

"That's what Carter said," Ben said honestly. He had mostly gotten over what Zeke told him earlier-it still bothered him, of course, but he dealt with worse. Like a revenge-bent Vilgax, for example.

"If these can heal people so fast, why don't the Slayers just use them in normal hospitals?" Gwen asked. "It'd save a lot of lives."

"These healing pods are _way_ above Earth tech," Kevin explained. "Bringing them out into the open would advance modern society to the point where it'd destroy itself faster than it was supposed to."

"And how do you know this?" Ben asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I read the Plumber rulebook."

"You read?"

Before Kevin could strangle Ben, the titanium door slid open. Cordelia walked in, clipboard in hand. She was completely engrossed in the readings, so she didn't see the teenagers until she nearly bumped into Kevin.

Regaining her composure, she sighed. "What are you people doing here?"

"Hello to you too," Ben said sarcastically. "We were kind of planning to wait around here for the Pride to come back because we have to talk to them and stuff."

"That reminds me-" Gwen started.

"Yes, yes, you know some bad words and want to use them on me," Cordelia interrupted dismissively. "I've already heard from Isaac. Trust me whatever you say won't affect me. I've heard everything."

"Don't bother, she's five thousand years old," Ben told his cousin. "She literally has heard everything." Gwen glared at Cordelia with utmost hatred. Cordelia just rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, you kids need to leave. It's six in the morning and I doubt you called your parents last night."

"Why do you care?" Gwen asked with hostility.

"Because believe it or not, I am actually a parent who worries about her kids when they've been gone all night."

"You don't care enough to let your kids rest after they've been injured," Kevin pointed out caustically.

"They were sent to destroy a DNAlien warship," Cordelia explained impatiently. "It was about to leave a close by galaxy soon and we couldn't afford to miss this chance."

"And obviously there was no other team available," Ben remarked.

"There's no other team who knows about the DNAlien threat."

"Wait, no one else knows?" Ben asked confused. "I thought the intelligence system-"

"The intelligence system is like the government," Cordelia explained. "They only tell you what you want to hear and deal with all the shady business behind closed doors. We will obviously reveal the entire plot eventually, but right now we can't afford any widespread panic."

"You could have sent us," Gwen pointed out angrily.

"You can't even handle taking down a DNAlien messenger ship," Cordelia snapped. "Do you honestly expect me to send you in a mission you obviously can't handle?"

"But we didn't need medical attention!" Ben snarled, now thoroughly fed up.

"And I didn't personally train you to deal with such missions," Cordelia said through gritted teeth. "I don't have time to deal with you. The Pride will be back soon; you might even see them at school. Now will you please _leave_?"

Ben looked at the others; they weren't done, not by a long shot. They needed answers that Cordelia might not provide. Only the Pride could supply them, and they had to wait for them. But the pure hostility in Cordelia's voice said that waiting at the Valentine manor wasn't an option.

So they left. Despite how they felt about her, the Immortal was right. They would see the Pride soon enough.

* * *

><p>…They weren't at school on Monday.<p>

Ben waited by Carter's locker until the first bell rang. He sat at the lunch table with his soccer buddies, but he didn't see the Pride at their usual table. He tried calling all three of them at different times, but their phones went straight to voicemail. So after school, Ben called Kevin.

"Ben, how do you have my number?"

"Evan told me."

"I'm going to kill him."

"Funny, that's what he said to me after Big Chill went on a rampage."

"You mean after you got pregnant and had all those kids?"

"Don't-! ...I totally set myself up for that," Ben muttered as Kevin roared with laughter over the phone line. "But seriously, go check up on the Pride. I can't get through to any of them."

"Yeah, sure, I'll check up on Sam."

"I meant…I set myself up again, didn't I?"

"You make it so, _so_ easy."

* * *

><p>Kevin knocked on the door to the Japanese-styled manor, mulling over what he was going to say.<p>

_Hi, Sam, how did the mission go? _No, that was too casual.

_So, kill anyone lately? _Yeah, that was a bad conversation starter.

_I get that we have to talk and all, but can I say that I totally understand? _That one sounded a bit desperate. Maybe if had more time-

The door opened to reveal Charlie in his punk Goth glory. His beanie was missing though, revealing messy locks the same color as his sister's.

"'Sup, Kevin," he said sleepily. He rubbed at his eyes and yawned.

"Uh, sorry, were you sleeping?" Kevin asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I'm always sleepy on Mondays," he answered. "Sam's inside." He turned away and let Kevin in. "Her room's on the top floor, first door on the right. I'm going to sleep." Charlie walked into the living and fell on top of a couch. His snores filled the room within seconds.

Kevin shook his head and walked up the wooden stairs. He took a moment to marvel at how different the house looked on the inside. It was a paradox.

And then he was in front of Sam's door and the panic set in. He hadn't really thought about what he was going to say, not really. Everything sounded stupid in his head, and he had no one to talk to because Ben was clueless and Evan was MIA-

The door opened and Sam nearly bumped into him. She looked like she just got out of bed: her wavy hair was messy, the blue boxer shorts and red t-shirt that consisted of her pajamas were rumpled, and she was rubbing sleep out of her eyes. But what was really just so off about her appearance were the bandages encircling her arms. They were slightly yellow and a pungent order was wafting from them, a scent not unlike medicinal herbs and ointment.

Something passed over Sam's face: her eyes widened, her face paled, her lips tightened into a line. Something akin to fear was coursing through her. But then her eyes morphed back to their usual half-moons and her face smoothed back into relaxation. She was indifferent like always.

Kevin chuckled weakly, smiling as Sam coolly looked at him. A beat of silence passed then stretched out for too long. Finally he just said, "I never had a problem with what you do. I just had to convince the others."

"…You never had a problem?" Sam hissed. She could remember the look on his face just a few nights ago-it haunted her, that disgusted face when he looked at her. It was only for an instant, but it constantly replayed itself in her mind. She simply couldn't forget it.

"Not really," Kevin said honestly. "We're at war here. Sacrifices have to be made. I guess…it's just hard to picture you at thirteen, doing something like that."

Sam smiled tiredly, tears pricking at her eyes. "I had to be like that. I'm the vessel of the war goddess. I have to enjoy the thrill of murder."

"But you don't," Kevin insisted, worry lacing his voice. "You never did."

"I do," Sam insisted. "Not always, but I do. But I don't-I don't want you to-"

Tears were running down her face now, uncontrollable rivers that she couldn't keep at bay. She was sobbing, body undulating from the sheer force of it.

Sam was gathered in his arms instantly, one hand on her head. "Don't cry," he was saying. "I don't hate you. I never could. I completely understand."

He completely understood. She shouldn't have taken comfort in that. That meant that he knew what it was like to go crazy, to let go of his sanity. But right now she needed it, that feeling that someone understood what she was going through.

And so they stood there, in mutual understanding, long after Sam's tears stopped.

* * *

><p>Evan was never one to stroll through the park, no matter how beautiful it was. There was a fountain in the middle, an ornate thing straight out of a romance novel. Couples were around it too, making the allusion even more true. And there were children running about and dog walkers and birds chirping…<p>

It was really a beautiful day. A shame Evan couldn't enjoy it.

He really should have been in bed resting. The hole in his stomach had long since been repaired, but the spot still throbbed occasionally. He should have been at home lazing on his bed, playing violent videogames while he was recuperating. He had a few days off, he deserved it.

But the second he tried to, it was like the walls were closing in on him. It was suffocating him, the lack of air destroying him. So Evan ran out of the house and into the fresh air. He didn't care where he went as long as it wasn't in an enclosed space.

And so his tired feet brought him to the park. Evan was at the fringes, where the cement met the forest. Yes, the forest was a good choice. It was still a part of the city, but he could get lost in there for a while. He could let nature soothe his wrecked nerves in a way _Call of Duty_ never could.

"Evan?"

He froze, the sweet voice reaching out for him. He turned slowly, eyes unnaturally wide. He saw her, she still in her school uniform, the afternoon light shining over her hair like a halo. She was pale, wide green eyes staring at him with a mixture of surprise and determination.

"Evan," Gwen began.

He bolted, running through the trees. He could hear her run after him, but he was faster than a normal human. He had to be. He slapped a palm at a tree and heard it tumble down. It was blocking her path, exactly how he wanted it. He was getting away from her, running faster and faster-

A mana tentacle wrapped itself around his ankle. He fell to the ground flat on his face. Groaning he flipped over on his back to see Gwen walking towards him, her eyes glowing dangerously pink.

His mind overridden with panic, Evan screamed. Vines erupted from the ground; rocks flew at her like bullets. She whipped up a shield to surround herself, but she was being overcome. The plants were surrounding her, wrapping itself around the shield while the rocks blew holes in the energy. Evan scrambled away, his legs failing him. He could get away, he had time-

The vine wrapping exploded; chlorophyll flew everywhere, some of it splattering on Evan. Pebbles pelted the ground, getting on his face. He closed his eyes until the harsh rain subsided. When he opened them, Gwen was standing above him, her eyes normal yet disapproving.

Evan didn't want to speak. His body was shaking, his old wound was throbbing. He needed her to go away or yell at him or something-

"What are you waiting for?" His voice was shrill and animalistic. It wasn't his own. Or was it? "Yell at me! Hurt me! END ME!"

"Why?" Her voice was soft, sad. Her eyes had mellowed out, her lips quivered. Her body was stuck in a defensive position, but it was slacking. From what, he didn't know.

"You hate me, don't you?" His voice was bitter, caustic. "You hate everything I stand for. You saw how I used to be. So do it. Deal out your righteous punishment on the sinner. I won't fight you anymore."

Gwen kneeled beside him, sure arms reaching for him. He backed his head away, eyes filled with fear, body taut with disgust.

"What are you doing? End me already! I deserve it."

"No you don't," she said softly. She held his head in her arms, staring at his grief stricken, angry face. And then she brought him in for a hug. He struggled, trying to get out of the suffocating arms, he couldn't breathe, he wanted _out_-

"It's okay," Gwen was saying, stroking his hair. What was she talking about, of course he was okay. He was Evan, he was _always_ okay.

"Let it all out."

Evan could taste it, the salty tears running down his face. Why was he crying? He didn't cry or weep or sob or any of those other things. He was a Slayer, god damn it, a leader among his people. He didn't break down and let his emotions run wild in front of this-this-

"I understand. You were made for war. And you can't change."

…How? How did she know?

"You want to be punished for something you can't completely control. I have no right to pass judgment."

Nonononononono-

"But don't beat yourself up, Evan. You'll always be my friend. Always."

A whimper erupted from his throat. He clutched at her, eyes closed as tears streamed down his face. His body was shaking in her arms, and he sobbed, sobbed into her shoulder as he let go all of the anguish and hate in him.

She wasn't supposed to forgive him. She was supposed to force the wrath of heaven on him. Destroy him. But she didn't. She forgave him.

Evan had never been so happy in his life.

* * *

><p>Ben glared at his phone like it insulted his mother.<p>

Carter should have called him back by now. He'd been trying to get to her all day, hanging up the phone when it reached her voicemail. Why wasn't she answering?

Ben flew through a cloud, the white fluff unimaginably cold. The water droplets clung to his skin like a wet blanket. He flew out of the cloud as quickly as he could and was greeted by warm sunshine.

He took a look at his phone; it was still working fine even though he went through a makeshift shower. He put it away in his pocket and flipped over so that his front faced the sun. His blue and green wings stretched out, gliding over the thermals as he laid there, hands behind his head.

Ben closed his eyes and cleared his mind, letting all thoughts leave his head. He needed a break from all the thinking and worrying. What he needed was a meditative break, an escape from the world. He let his mind go, flying over the white clouds as the city sounds below him faded from existence.

Then he heard it, the siren voice. It was soft and husky, yet it was the sweetest sound he'd ever heard. Ben's eyes opened in alarm and he nearly fell out of the sky; that was how shocked he was. He flapped his wings as quickly as he could, desperate to stay in the air. Once he was stable, he strained his ears to hear the song again.

"_Never know what I've become__  
><em>_The king of all that's said and done__  
><em>_The forgotten son"_

She was far away, the person singing. No matter. Ben controlled the air. He would get there soon enough.

Stretching his wings, he swerved downward. The thermal under him pushed against him, using his body like a car on a rollercoaster. Normally he would have enjoyed the hundred-miles-per-hour rush, but the siren voice was calling to him. He had to get there _now._

"_This city's buried in defeat__  
><em>_I walk along these no-name streets__  
><em>_Wave goodbye to all__  
><em>_As I fall"_

The trees of the familiar forest were rushing at him. He flipped over so that he landed on his feet. He fell down with a crash, the familiar sonic boom of his landing alerting his arrival. He retracted his wings and untied his jacket from his waist. He put it on as he walked through the forest.

"_At the dead-end I begin__  
><em>_To burn the bridge of innocence__  
><em>_Satisfaction guaranteed__  
><em>_A pillow-weight catastrophe"_

The voice was picking up speed; the song was reaching the middle. Ben didn't have a lot of time. He climbed up the hill as quickly as he could (he wished he could go as XLR8, but he no longer had that alien as an option). Twigs were snapping under his feet and branches were getting in his face, but he pushed them all away. He was a man on a mission, after all.

"_On a mission nowhere bound__  
><em>_Inhibitions underground__  
><em>_A shallow grave I__  
><em>_Have dug all by myself"_

He pushed another branch out of the way. He was at the clearing now. He could see the wild flowers and the beautiful view of the city below. He didn't focus on it for long.

Carter was there in the middle, her black clothing a stark contrast to the happiness of the site. She had stopped her singing. She was staring at him now, her expression stony.

And then she said, "You suck as stealth."

Ben chuckled weakly and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm better in the air, actually."

Carter rolled her eyes. "I know. I could hear you walking from a mile away."

"Your hearing's that good?"

"Isaac taught me that trick. Of course my hearing's that good."

There was silence after that statement. It was stretching out for too long. Carter's gaze softened slightly.

"Don't you have something to tell me?"

Ben thought for a moment, seriously considering his next choice of words. "I don't know. Do I?"

Carter scratched the back of her head. "Aren't you afraid of me again?"

Ben blinked. "Why would I be?"

She glared at him. "You saw Beck and Charlie kill a person. You know I acted like that back when I was thirteen. So why aren't you afraid of me?"

"Okay, I admit I was startled and kind of freaked out," Ben confessed, "but you're not like that. Not anymore."

"How do you know?" Carter said her voice bitter.

"Because I know you."

She blinked; she wasn't expecting that. She brushed some hair behind her ear and thought about her next choice of words. She had to save face.

"Pfft, like you know everything about me," she joked almost meanly.

Ben rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, make fun of the idiot boyfriend. Out of curiosity's sake, what song were you singing?"

"_Walking Disaster_ by Sum 41." Carter shrugged. "It seemed appropriate."

"Do you always come out here alone, just to sing?"

"Sometimes. It's pretty secluded here."

"Could you finish it?" Ben asked hopefully. He sat on the ground. "I really want to hear the rest."

Carter shrugged again and sat down. "Eh, why not?"

"Wait!" He crawled over and plopped his head down on her lap.

"…What are you doing?"

"Shut up and serenade me!"

"Like _this_?"

"_Yes!_"

Carter groaned audibly. Ben just closed his eyes and smiled triumphantly. The wind was picking up, forcing Carter to pull her hair behind her ears.

"_And now I've been gone for so long__  
><em>_I can't remember who was wrong__  
><em>_All innocence is long gone__  
><em>_I pledge allegiance to a world of disbelief__  
><em>_Where I belong"_

Ben was breathing deeply, completely relaxed. Carter was stroking his hair as she sang, affectionately playing with it. That part made him smile slightly.

"_A walking disaster__  
><em>_The son of all bastards__  
><em>_You'll regret you made me__  
><em>_It's too late to save me"_

* * *

><p>Ben and Carter were walking hand in hand when they found the others.<p>

They were all at the Mr. Smoothie parking lot. Sam was dressed normally, the bandages on her arms gone. She and Kevin were also holding hands, though gingerly, since she was still injured. They were by Kevin's car when Evan and Gwen showed up, Evan with red rimmed eyes and Gwen with an arm around his shoulders.

The six stared at each other. No one really knew what to say to each other. What was there to say?

Sam took one look at Evan and said, "What happened to you?"

"I was attacked by Tribbles," he deadpanned.

"Tribbles?"

"Yeah, for something so soft and cuddly they're surprisingly vicious."

Carter rolled her eyes as Ben laughed. "Idiot."

"What's a Tribble?" Gwen asked curiously.

Evan began to explain but was cut off by Kevin. "Are we getting smoothies or what?"

"That depends. Who's paying?" Carter asked.

A beat, and then everyone said, "Ben."

"Oh come on!"

As everyone laughed at him, they all swarmed closer together. It was a natural reaction, something close friends did. They didn't need to talk to each other anymore.

All was right in the world again.

* * *

><p><em>Tell me, is that song Carter was singing ominous or what? XD Meh, I'm just joshing. It's not ominous at all; just take it as you will.<em>

_Also, Star Trek. Just because._


	44. Breaking the Fourth Wall Part 1

Chapter 44: Breaking the Fourth Wall Part 1

_For the episode Pet Project, I found one or two loopholes that kind of annoyed me. I guess they annoyed me more than I thought, because chapters 44 and 45 manage to subtlety break the fourth wall. I had no intention of doing so, but looking back on it now, I'm glad I put it in. XD So much comedy! (Though said loopholes don't show until next chapter...)_

* * *

><p>It was a full moon that night. The werewolves would have been happy. Not that there were any. The Forever Knights were pretty sure they took care of that problem ages ago.<p>

Still, it was a nice night. But the Knights couldn't enjoy it, since they were in a mad scientist's lab and all.

Said mad scientist's lab was underneath the castle-_deep_ underground. Only a handful of Forever Knights had been chosen to be down there this night. All were handpicked by the scientist himself, a man of Scottish ancestry with a blind right eye and the battle scar to prove that it wasn't genetic.

"My fellow Knights," he announced to the chosen few, "we have lately endured a grave defeat. Our prisoner, the villainous dragon, escaped from our grasp. But does this mean we have lost?"

The Forever Knights stayed silent.

"Do we now abandon our sacred duty?!"

The Forever Knights shouted, "NO!"

"No!" the scientist agreed. "Instead we must pursue the beast across the void. We must destroy it and its vile species once and for all!"

"YEAH!" shouted the chosen ones.

"And so," the charismatic scientist continued, "to that end, I have built a starship." Lights quickly erupted to the side, one by one, until they revealed a gigantic weapons system unlike any of them had ever seen. It was silver with two wings; underneath said wings were missiles, thermal blasts, bombs, and other devastating threats to alien kind.

"Combining dozens of alien technologies we have…_acquired_, and though its controls are too complex for human operation, I believe I have found a solution." The scientist directed the audience's attention to the wall, where a projector screen was. The projector flickered on to reveal an incredible sight: a dozen cars swallowed into a circle of metal. This was followed by a scene of a housewife being chased by her own vacuum cleaner.

"This is a work of a Galvan shape shifter," the scientist said. The screen flickered to reveal one of the most adorable mascots the Ben 10 series had to offer: Ship. "Both machine and beast, which can assimilate and duplicate any device it encounters. With it, we will create an armada of spacecraft, which we can use to obliterate the dragon home world."

A single man stepped up into the light. He was a large man covered in gray armor. He lifted his helmet to reveal a smiling face, a dreadful mask that hid the sadist beneath.

"I'll catch your little blob for ya," the man said jovially.

"Beware, Sir Morton; it will not be easy to capture," the scientist said gravely.

"That's what makes me job all more interestin', don't it?"

* * *

><p>He stared at the balcony. He could sense her through the soundproof walls. She was walking about-he didn't know why, exactly, but she was there. That was all that counted.<p>

He had traveled a long way to meet her. He made plenty of stops along the way-too many, but it had been so much fun…But now he was late. Or was he? She was still there, in her room. Alone.

He had picked up a few things on the trip here. She would be excited to see, he knew. He wouldn't show them all right away, of course. He had to leave her in suspense, had to leave her wanting more. He didn't want her faking her emotions for him. That would be the worst.

He had to make her happy. He would do anything to make her happy. _Anything_.

He slithered up the stairs as quietly as he could-he wanted to surprise her. Would she be surprised? He bet she would. She hadn't seen him in a long time; of course she would be happy. She would love the tricks he picked up. He loved making her smile.

He pounded on the balcony door. For a second, nothing, and then the thick purple curtains withdrew and he could see combat boots through the pretty, streaky glass. She was here, she was opening the door, oh boy oh boy oh boy-

Carter looked around to see nothing on the balcony. And then she looked down to see Ship, his hindquarters wagging like a tail.

She kneeled and petted him on the head. "You're back! It's been so long. Newt didn't tell me you were coming. How's he treating you?" If the Galvanic Mechamorph understood, he didn't show it. He just panted slightly and purred under her hand.

Quickly she scooped him up and hopped off the balcony. She withdrew her black wings and descended slowly. Once her feet hit the ground they disappeared and Ship leaped out of her arms.

"What do you have to show me this time?" Carter asked pleasantly. The alien dog bleated out a quick, "Ship, ship!" before transforming into a black toaster with a green circuit design. Two pieces of toast flew out-Carter threw an icicle through the one that nearly hit her head. She cringed at how deadly her reflexes were.

Ship didn't seem to notice. He jumped into the air and with a great green flash turned into a washing machine. Carter giggled when she heard the motor running. "Cool. Good Ship. Anything else?"

Ship turned back into his adorable doggie self for a moment. After a moment's hesitation he jumped into the air again. Carter's jaw dropped and she quickly back flipped away just as a submarine landed in the backyard.

Carter stood up, mouth open. She cast a nervous glance at the house before smiling at Ship. "Awesome! Now change back." Instantly the Mechamorph changed to normal and leaped into her arms. Carter coddled him, petting his head while saying, "Good Ship, you're such a good boy."

And then she took a look at the backyard. A few of the trees were lopsided; one had toppled over as the submarine hit the ground and turned into a pancake. The flower garden was completely totaled, and the imprint of the submarine dug a trench in the ground.

Carter groaned. "Cordelia is so going to pin this on me." And then she heard the sounds of a car beeping-her ride was here. Giving Ship a kiss on the forehead, she said, "I'll be back later. Don't let anyone see you." She then melted into the shadows, leaving a crestfallen Ship behind.

Inside the car, Carter squeezed in next to Gwen and Sam in the backseat. Kevin was behind the wheel with Evan riding shotgun.

"Got the cards?" the brunette said.

The Goth held up her wallet. "Know it! Take us to the mall, Sterling!"

"I am not your chauffeur!" Kevin growled.

"You're the only one with a car," Gwen pointed out. His scowl grew deeper as he turned to Evan.

"Why are you going?"

"I want to go shopping," Evan said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Kevin gave him a disbelieving look.

"You staked out the sales, didn't you?" Sam leered at Evan.

"It's like they know I'm coming," he said dreamily. Kevin made a despairing noise as the girls-plus Evan-chattered on about the mall. As he pulled out of the driveway, he begged the powers that be to let something-_anything_- happen before he stopped at the mall.

No one noticed the Galvanic Mechamorph gluing itself to Kevin's bumper.

* * *

><p>Carter had told Ben where she was going this Saturday night. She had asked him to come along, but he had refused telling her he had homework. She had given him a look but didn't say anything. So Ben was sitting in his room, eating popcorn while watching an old fifties horror movie.<p>

…It still beat shopping.

In the old black and white film, the painfully cheesy-looking alien was controlling the hero, turning him into a mind controlled slave. He was stalking towards his love interest, who was screaming at the top of her lungs. The camera closed in on the hero's dead-looking eyes before the movie cut to commercial.

Ventus chose that moment to speak up. _**Why the hell didn't you go with Carter?**_

_She was going shopping. Do you know how girls act when they shop?_

…_**Yes. But why didn't you go? Evan and Kevin were going.**_

_They were roped into it. I refused on account that I hate lugging around shopping bags._

_**Even if one was from Victoria's Secret?**_

Ben paused mid-chew, the now empty bowl of popcorn clattering to the ground. _What?_

_**I heard from Aquaria and Kirche that Carter had a gift card from Victoria's Secret. I think she was using it today. **_

…_Why does that concern me?_

_**She might have let you pick the colors…?**_

Ben stood up from his bed and, with every word, banged his head against the wall. "I. Am. So. _Stupid!_"

* * *

><p>"Get that CD away from my radio."<p>

"No."

"Get that CD away from my radio!"

"I'm putting it in!"

"Don't make me turn this car around!"

"Ladies, ladies, you're both pretty!" Sam cried over the din. Kevin growled and Evan took the opportunity to slip in the CD he burned.

"What's so bad about Evan's music?" Gwen asked out loud.

"You'll see eventually," Carter groaned, plugging her ears.

The angry noises of Metallica erupted from the speakers, forcing everyone to cringe. "Turn it off!" Kevin roared.

Evan switched to the next track. '_I'm bringing sexy back-'_

Gwen gave a laugh as Evan warbled along tunelessly. Kevin was near tears; he was begging someone, anyone to change the music. Carter leaned over and switched to the next track.

'_All the single ladies, all the single ladies-'_

"What is with your music?" Sam muttered as she leaned out of her seat to switch the tracks yet again. "Hell, what was the point of this scene, anyway?"

"The author wanted some comic relief before the next fight," Evan explained swiftly. "It's her trademark."

"What are you guys talking about?" Gwen asked puzzled.

"Trust me, you don't want to know," Carter said.

'_Our whole universe started in a hot dense state_

_Then nearly fourteen billion years ago expansion started. Wait…_'

Kevin and Gwen looked at the radio in confusion, since they had never heard this fairly new theme song before. Carter and Sam, on the other hand, squealed with delight as they and Evan sang along.

'_The Earth began to cool,__  
><em>_The autotrophs began to drool,__  
><em>_Neanderthals developed tools,__  
><em>_We built a wall (we built the pyramids),__  
><em>_Math, science, history, unraveling the mysteries,__  
><em>_That all started with the big bang!'_

_BANG! _A red hot laser beam hit the bumper of Kevin's car. Kevin hit the brakes, puncturing his tires as the car careened to the side of the road. A red chariot flew by, firing another laser at the car before it skidded to a complete stop.

Everybody ran out of the car just as the beam hit the boys. Kevin safely flew upwards, doing a front flip before landing on his back. Evan, on the other hand, hit his head on the road, blood gushing out of the wound as he was rendered unconscious.

"Get him to safety!" Sam roared as she flew upward. Fire was streaking out of her hands, making her look like a comet. She flew over to the assault chariot, chasing after it as it tried to fire off more lasers.

Kevin dragged an unconscious Evan back to the car. Carter had a cell phone in one hand and a glowing blue one on Evan's forehead, right where the cut was. She quickly dialed Ben's number just as Gwen whipped up a mana shield. A laser had hit them; Gwen deflected the blast but the shield splintered apart.

"Sam!" she cried.

"On it!" the flaming redhead said, in hot pursuit of the flying chariot.

"Carter!" Ben finally said on the other line. "Are you at the mall yet?"

"No, we got sidetracked by the Forever Knight attacking us," Carter deadpanned as Evan slowly healed. "He's got a laser chariot and everything."

A beat of silence, and then: "I'm on my way!" And then the line went dead.

Evan stirred, eyelids fluttering. The first thing he said was, "Why is he shooting at us?"

"Who doesn't shoot at us at this point?" Carter shot back as another laser hit the tree behind them.

"Watch the paintjob, that's four coats!" Kevin yelled angrily. He put a hand on his precious car and absorbed the metal, temporarily becoming a shiny green color. The Knight in the chariot sent another laser from his lance, hitting Kevin. He flew backwards, but thanks to special armor he was mostly unharmed.

The Knight landed and got off his chariot. He had an old fashioned shield without a sword on him-it looked weird. Kevin got up and ran to punch him. The Knight slammed the shield against him and delivered a punch of his own.

Sam flew down just as Kevin fell to the side. She jumped kicked the Knight; the shield took the impact. Lightning quick jabs from Sam hit the shield. The Knight staggered back, the heavy shield barely protecting him from the onslaught.

And then the shield hit Sam in the torso, and down she fell. Blood dribbled out of her mouth as she wheezed.

The Knight heard yelling; Kevin was coming after him with rage in his eyes. Another punch sent him reeling. And then the Knight summoned his laser lance, using telekinesis to get it from the chariot. With it in hand, red lasers were sent at the poor Osmosian, forcing him to the ground.

Pain racked Kevin's body; the armor was helping, but he could feel the intense heat through the metal. Sweet Christ was this what death felt like? The intense heat searing through him, the acrid smell of smoke filling his nostrils…

…Was that a wall of flames in front of him?

He could an arm snaking around his waist. Ah. Sam was there. She was propping him up, forcing Kevin to lean against her as she helped him to safety. He could see blood on her chin from the attack earlier. For a second Kevin wanted to go back and punch that guy's lights out, but then he saw what the Knight was doing over by his car.

Why the hell was he by Kevin's car?

Electricity was buzzing around the bumper. Some strange green and black goo was sliding off it. It was collecting itself into a little ball, and then it grew little arms and a tail. It gave a sad, pathetic whimper as the electricity swarmed around it painfully.

"Ship?" Carter said. She reached out for him. Evan clung to her waist, one hand grabbing her arm.

"The electricity will kill you," he bleated out as Ship continued to whimper in pain. And then the shape shifter was pulled inside a giant glass container, the telekinetic powers controlling him.

"In ya go!" the sadistic Knight said happily, closing the lid.

"Let him go, you bastard!" Carter roared at him, her voice a horrible animalistic sound.

The Knight propped Ship into the chariot. "No can do, girlie. Not part of me job description." He fired the laser lance off once more at the teenagers. They fell back as the laser hit, the debris falling everywhere. They could see the chariot flying into the air; Ship was bleating something, his little arms against the glass of his prison.

And then the Knight flew away, Ship along with him.

For a second Carter stood there, eyes in the sky where Ship once was. She was shaking, hunched over. She tilted her head down, obscuring her face.

"Carter…" Evan reached out for her, nearly touching her shaking form. And then she whirled around and slammed her fists on the car hood.

"FUCKING DAMN IT!" she screamed. The back of the car shot up, becoming a perfect ninety degrees angle before settling itself back down with a loud crash. Carter put her fists at her side, revealing the popped up hood and two craters.

"MY CAR!" Kevin screamed nearly in tears. Carter paid him no mind. She was too busy hating her intolerance of electricity. It wasn't her fault she was born like that, but she should have helped, she should have healed Ship, she should have done _something_-

"Daddy's coming," Sam said, pointing to the alien in the sky.

"…Crap," Carter muttered, pushing aside her feelings of inferiority.

"You never told him?" Gwen asked alarmed, her intuition freakishly accurate.

"It never came up," the Goth admitted sheepishly as Jetray landed. In a flash of green he turned back into Ben, who then came running up to them.

"What happened?" was the first thing he asked.

Kevin, who had been sprawled over his wreck of a car, stood up. "That flyin' jerk fried my car. And then Carter bashed the hood!"

"Way to throw me under the bus, Kev," Carter muttered as Ben looked at her. "I was upset?" she sheepishly told him.

"_Why?_"

"…The flying jerk took Ship."

"_Ship?!_"

"Before you go into anything, let me call Beck," Evan said, holding out his phone. "We need to fix the car."

"I'll see if I can get us a ride," Sam said. She pulled Kevin away from his beat up vehicle towards the bridge. Evan and Gwen stepped away from Carter in perfect synch, heading more towards the forest.

Ben turned to Carter, confusion etched on his face. "How long has Ship been following us?"

"Not you. Me. And Newt," Carter confessed.

"Okay then, why you?"

"I guess he thinks I'm his mother."

"Your mother," Ben said flatly.

"Mother, caretaker, I don't know!" Carter snapped. "But whatever I am to him, he also latched onto Newt because we have the same face."

"And how long has Newt known about Ship?" he asked.

"About a month or so."

Hurt flickered over Ben's face. "And you never told me?"

"You wanted nothing to do with Ship."

"I said nothing like that!"

"Yes you did you liar!" Evan called from the forest.

"Shut up Evan!" Ben yelled back. "How can you even hear us?"

"I'm Batman!"

Carter ignored him. "Anyway, Ship stopped over today and showed me a few tricks, and then I guess he latched onto Kevin's car when I left him."

"He shows you tricks?" Ben asked alarmed.

"Yeah, he turns into things. Turned himself into a submarine today," Carter said.

"How did he-you know what, I don't want to know." Ben shook his head. "The point is why would the Forever Knights want to steal Ship?"

"Puh-leeze!" Kevin scoffed from the bridge. "He can turn into anything he touches. He's like a cup of instant weapon."

"Oh, so now you can hear us too?" Ben called to him.

"He's Superman!" Evan called from the trees.

"Hey Sam, how fast can we get a ride?" Gwen yelled over to her friend.

"WHY IS EVERYONE YELLING?" Carter screamed at the top of her lungs.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night<strong>

Kevin _refused _help from Beck. Like Gwen and Ben, he still didn't like the idea of being around a child murderer. Evan was able to get some supplies though, so Kevin could easily fix the damage inflicted on his car. Amazingly, Carter actually did little damage to the hood. The only thing they had to do was smooth out the craters.

Carter had taken a look at the engine and remarked, "I thought I hit the engine. Why isn't it showing any damage?"

Kevin had given her his salesman smile and said, "That's a trade secret."

Now, an hour later, the car was back to normal. Kevin happily wiped the car so clean he could see his smiling reflection in it. "Okay, fixed the hood, new paint job, and new tires!" he crowed.

Gwen was sitting on the ground in Ben's garage, a blanket under her. She was meditating her eyes light pink. "I'm trying to pick up his mana."

"Wait, isn't Ship technically a machine?" Sam asked out loud.

"Basically. Why do you ask?" Evan said.

"Well, mana comes from living things, and since Ship isn't technically living…" she trailed off, her point made. Gwen slumped dejectedly.

"There's gotta be some way we can find him," Ben pointed out.

Carter held up the newspaper. "The Forever Knights are history freaks, right? So wouldn't their headquarters be in a castle?"

Evan snatched the news article from her hands and read the ad out loud. "'Lancelot Lake Estates is proud to present the newest installment in housing development, blah, blah, blah, if a man's home is his castle, isn't it time that you owned one?'"

"Possible," Gwen stated.

"Kind of a long shot," Ben said.

"Why do they even have castles in Bellwood anyway?" Kevin asked naively.

"Same reason it has a black market," Sam said dryly. Everyone who didn't know that turned to her.

"Bellwood has a black market?" Gwen asked incredulously.

Sam arched an eyebrow. "Doesn't every city?"

"_Anyway_," Carter said quickly, "when are we going to sack the castle?"

"Is it really safe for you?" Evan mused. "I mean, the Forever Knights used electric attacks, and it'd be catastrophic if you got hit."

"What do you mean catastrophic?" Gwen asked.

"She'll die from the excess electricity," Ben pointed out, shame welling through him upon remembering Carter's lifeless body from ages past.

"And how would you know that?" Sam hissed suspiciously, eyes narrowed into slits.

"And if you died, who would I copy all my English essays off of?" Evan asked, diverting the conversation.

"Wow, you make me feel so special," Carter said sarcastically.

"Yeah, I really don't think you should go," Ben agreed. She narrowed her eyes at him. She could see Ship's face pressed up against the glass, looking at her, pleading her to help him. She could feel the overwhelming sense of shame as she remembered how utterly useless she was to help him. That wasn't going to happen again.

And _nothing_ would stop her from saving him.

"You really don't have a say in this," Carter said, her tone announcing the finality of the decision.

"What? Why?"

"You're the deadbeat dad," Kevin deadpanned. Evan and Sam went "oooh!" and stepped back.

"Are you gonna take that, Tennyson?" Evan jeered.

"You didn't even know about Ship in the first place," Sam pointed out.

"That's true, I didn't know." Ben glared at Carter.

"Because you never wanted anything to do with him," she snarled back. She slammed the newspaper into his chest. "Now if you don't mind, I got a pet to save." She stomped over to the car, threw open the passenger door and angrily slammed it shut as she slid in.

Kevin, with his hands over his eyes, asked, "Did she break it again?"

"No, your car's fine," Sam assured him. He uncovered them and gave a sigh of relief. He then immediately walked to the driver's seat.

"I'd back you up, Tennyson, but I really don't think I can," Evan said cheekily.

"You threw me under the bus, you bastard!" Ben snarled at him. His doppelganger gave an impish giggle and ran over to the car, where Sam and Gwen already were.

"Great, thanks for the support guys!" Ben snapped at them as they closed the car doors. He strode over to the backseat farthest from Carter, forcing himself to squish next to Evan. His cheek pressed to the window, he gave the newspaper to Sam. "The address is on it."

"9387 Arthur Lane?" Sam recited. "Yeah, that isn't obvious _at all_."

"Sarcasm's my thing," Carter snapped. "Don't steal my thing."

"But I don't have a thing!"

"You still can't steal it!"

Sam melted into her seat fearfully as Kevin started the car. The two anxiously traded looks before jetting out of the garage.

There was a deathly silence in the air, a choking thing. It was settling over them like a wet washcloth. They were shuddering from the intensity, their breaths fogging…

…Their breaths were fogging in spring?

Icicles formed a circlet around Carter's head, turning themselves into small diamonds. Water crystals pooled around her, the crisp white snow settling themselves on Gwen's lap. The air around her was frigid, and it was frosting up the windows.

Kevin turned on the heat in the car. It did nothing for Carter's temper.

"Thanks, Tennyson," Kevin muttered under his breath. "Thanks _a lot_."

* * *

><p><em>Yep, Ship is depicted as something of a stalker. Which kind of makes sense, since he's been following Carter and Newt for some time. He may not know better, but still. <em>

_And I can totally use the Big Bang Theory Theme Song. The first episode aired in 2007. Pet Project first aired in 2008. It's totally legal._

_Actually, I was planning to use the BBT Theme Song earlier. When Gwen, Kevin and Ben were stuck in that DNAlien prison a few chapters back, the Pride was supposed to be in there with them. To pass the time, Evan was supposed to start singing, making Kevin angry. And then eventually Kevin would absorb some of that Farsympian metal; Evan and Sam would sing the television version of the theme song, with Kevin kicking down the prison door with a bang at the end. But the chapter went in a different direction, so I recycled that scene here._

_So, thoughts anyone?_


	45. Breaking the Fourth Wall Part 2

Chapter 45: Breaking the Fourth Wall Part 2

_In this chapter, the Fourth Wall may as well be collapsing. You can tell by the Yu-Gi-Oh! Abridged joke._

_Oh, before I forget: Happy Holidays!_

* * *

><p><strong>In the mad scientist's lab<strong>

The scientist and Sir Morton were down there, facing a large sphere. It was connected to the ceiling, and from it electricity was guarding the huge sphere, turning it into an inescapable prison. The scientist was in front of a machine, fiddling with the buttons and readings for said prison.

Ship was inside the sphere, desperate for a way out. He was hitting the sides like a pinball, going at racecar speeds. For just a second he stopped, turning himself back into his doggie form. He seemed tired, almost dejected. And then he started up again, turning into a shot as it searched for a weak spot.

"Scrappy little bloke, isn't he?" Sir Morton remarked as the scientist did his readings. He looked up to face the Knight.

"Yes, but not so terribly bright." The scientist pressed a few buttons, forcing the sphere to get smaller. It was turning into a tiny orb; Ship turned back into his blobby self and molded to the new shape. Only it was too small. He couldn't possibly fit.

And then a hole appeared in the unbreakable prison. Ship put his head through it, the rest of him stuck in the sphere. He struggled only to realize that he was still trapped.

And then he felt something on the back of his neck. It was a gentle pressing. He could hear a slight hiss behind him. Ship tried to turn his head, but the hole was too small.

The scientist smiled triumphantly. "Now, you will do as I command." He held up a remote control and pressed another button. Electricity exploded from Ship's neck; he wriggled as the overwhelming pain coursed through him-he wanted out he wanted Carter and Newt oh God it _hurt_-

Ship fainted with electricity buzzing around him. And then, like a mind controlled slave, his head shot straight up and his glowing green eye turned red.

* * *

><p>When Kevin stopped at the traffic light, the car doors were thrown open and Evan and Gwen ran out.<p>

For twenty minutes the two of them had been at the mercy of Carter's frigid anger. Kevin had tried to combat the cold with his car heater, turning it all the way up, but it did very little for the two in the back seat. So Sam tried using some of her fire power to heat the car up. But thanks to Carter the heat came in flashes, so the car felt like a frozen tundra one minute, the Sahara desert the next.

Fed up, Evan and Gwen left. "You two work it out," Evan said as pleasantly as he could. "I'll fly Gwen up and follow you guys."

Before closing the door, Gwen fixed Ben a glare and said, "You better fix this, Tennyson." And then she slammed the door shut. Evan chose that moment to pick Gwen up bridal style. She shrieked, since it was a sudden motion.

And then Evan summoned his wings.

She stared, transfixed, as Evan shot through the air. The air whooshed beneath him like a sonic boom, only smaller so Gwen's eardrums didn't burst. He flapped his wings to stay afloat, staring at the car as it stood to the laws of the red traffic light.

Gwen reached out to Evan's right, feeling the soft feathers. The angel part of the set was a deep forest green, the same shade as his eyes. On the feather were little tawny brown spots, making the sharp feathers seem softer somehow. The devil part was the same, only it was leathery looking and more menacing.

"Were your wings always like this?" Gwen asked, staring at the feather she plucked.

"It's a Slayer thing."

"Why angel and devil?"

"Because like humans, we aren't good or evil," Evan stated. "We are all sinners and saints inside. At least, that's what Carter always said," he added as an afterthought.

"That's beautiful," Gwen said breathlessly. And then she realized something. "Does Ben…?"

"Oh, yeah, he's got the wings too," Evan said flippantly. "He just can't use them often. If Azmuth found out that Ben was actually part alien-part Slayer, really-he might take away the Omnitrix."

"He wouldn't," Gwen scoffed. "He said it himself; Ben's the only person in the universe who used the Omnitrix as a force for good. There's no way Azmuth would destroy his chance to see universal peace."

"We don't want to take that chance." Kevin's car started moving. "Hold on, this could be a little rough. I've never carried someone while flying before." Evan flapped his wings and flew to follow the car, Gwen clutching his shirt for dear life.

In the moving car, Kevin and Sam were trying not to pay attention the conversation Ben was trying to start.

"Look, I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but Ship's been captured by the Forever Knights," he began. "You don't know what you're dealing with."

"I've dealt with mass murderers, sociopaths, psychopaths with sociopathic tendencies, and Evan after he finds out there's a new _Grand Theft Auto_ game coming out," Carter said. "I know exactly what I'm getting into."

"They use electricity in their attacks. You can't handle that kind of power!"

"I have Sam for that!"

"Great, I'm a bodyguard now," Sam grumbled as she slumped in her seat.

"The point is, you don't trust me to take care of myself," Carter snapped. She poked Ben's chest for emphasis. "You can't handle someone taking the limelight for even a second. You always have to be the hero!"

"I do not!"

"Yeah, you do," Kevin said from the driver's seat. Ben was about to retort back, but then he saw the looks Kevin and Sam were giving him.

"Can we discuss this later?" Ben whispered to Carter. She turned her back on him.

* * *

><p>Lancelot Lake Estates looked exactly like the pictures in the brochure. A moat cut off the island from the rest of the world. A drawbridge was the only thing connecting the two. The so-called castles didn't exactly look like castles: they were wooden with white paint and red roofs. But they were large and had stone towers guarding each home, so it did have a medieval feel.<p>

…Except there was one particular home that looked _exactly_ like a medieval castle. It was smack dab in the middle of the island. It was clearly the Forever Knights' headquarters.

There was a conveniently placed dense forest next to the castle. Kevin parked there and the four got out. Evan chose that moment to land with Gwen in his arms. Her hair was tousled from the wind and her cheeks were rosy, but she was otherwise fine.

"That was fun," she said as Evan retracted his wings. "We should do that again."

"We will as soon as Carter and Ben have another fight," he said jovially. "Speaking of which…" he trailed off as he saw the two standing far away from each other, similar stubborn looks plastered on their faces. "Of course they didn't make up," Evan muttered with an eye roll.

Kevin was rubbing his hands together and blowing warm breath on them. "God, that was awful! Why didn't you make up with her, Ben? You could have saved my hands from frostbite."

"You won't get frostbite," Carter pointed out. "If you're so cold, just hug Sam."

Kevin gave the redhead a look. "Oh, yeah, fire powers." And so he hugged her, right in front of everyone. Sam widened her eyes, her face flushing furiously as Kevin held her tight. Not that anyone could see, since Sam's face was pressed into Kevin's chest.

He held up a hand and bent the fingers. "Hey, I'm defrosting!" he said happily. Suddenly he could feel something hot against him. Steam started to billow out from Sam's face. He held her shoulders and pushed her away to arm's length. He blinked when he saw her tomato red face.

"Oh right, she gets embarrassed when used as a heater," Evan noted as he finally remembered.

"I forgot," Carter said apologetically as Sam walked over to her. She put her face on the Goth's shoulder and hugged her. White steam came out, but a lot less than before.

"What's she doing?" Gwen asked an eyebrow arched.

"She's cooling down," Carter answered, hugging Sam back. "You guys go on ahead. We'll catch up."

"You heard the lady. Let's go!" With a spring in his step Evan walked up to one of the stone towers. Kevin and Gwen shrugged their shoulders and followed him. Ben took one look at the angry face Carter was sending him and quickly ran after them.

When Sam was pinker in the face than red, the two girls joined the others near the entrance of the castle. They were hiding behind one of the watch towers, eyeing the entrance and planning their next move.

Ben gently rapped his knuckles against the stone, hearing the hollow insides. "Looks like a gigantic miniature golf course."

"It's not like you can use actual stones for building houses," Sam pointed out. She refused to be mute like earlier. "They'd either have to be bricks made to look like medieval stones -which are expensive- or make it fake."

"Oh, so you can talk now," Kevin said wolfishly with a grin to match. Sam glared at him, but since she was still pink in the face, it fell flat. In fact, she looked downright cute. Kevin's smile grew wider.

"So, in other words, it's time to bust the door down," Evan said with a smile. If Kevin could grin any wider, he would.

"Let's try a more subtle approach for a change," Ben said with a lilt in his voice.

* * *

><p>They used to the door.<p>

…Clearly this was a novel concept if you were used to busting doors down.

To be precise, the door was in the watch tower, hidden from view. It was a small room with a fridge and a table and little else. But it was connected to the main building, and that was all that mattered.

Evan opened the door, the creak small. Ben and Gwen were hovering over him, surveying the room. Or they were until they heard a popping sound and the hiss of carbonated air behind them. Gwen opened the door to reveal the open fridge and Kevin gulping down soda.

"Really?" Carter said.

Kevin put down the can. "I was really thirsty."

Carter just sighed. "Okay then."

"What, that's it?" Sam asked. "When I do something like that, I get yelled at. But when Evan or Kevin does it your okay with it. This is BS, man!"

"Stop trying to quote LittleKuriboh and get in here!" Carter snapped as she and the others walked into the main room. Sam shrugged her shoulders and followed.

"Nice place," Kevin remarked. Indeed it was: low red velvet couches, and giant ornate fireplace, fancy drapes hanging from the ceiling, and empty Forever Knight armor littered the room. It was truly wonderful. Kevin couldn't wait to pilfer it.

Ben stepped up to one of the suits of armor and snapped his fingers in front of the helmet. There was no reaction. He then pulled one of the drapes from behind the Knight. "Do they really think these drapes go with chainmail?"

"Well, we think it works for us," Sir Morton said. Everyone turned to see him on the far side of the room, an electric club in his hands.

There was a metallic sound and everyone jumped back from the armor as they came alive. All of them had electric clubs in their hands.

Gwen stood on the coffee table and whipped up a mana shield. An electric blast splintered it apart and she fell back into an armchair, which fell to the floor.

Evan, who was nearest her, asked, "You okay?"

"Better than them," she said resolutely before getting back up. With one flick of her wrist a mana tentacle picked up Sir Morton and threw him into the wall. He slid to the floor unconscious. Kevin took that moment to absorb his metal armor.

Three Forever Knights fell to the ground with a cry. Their legs were bent at funny angles, and three people were standing over them. Carter was in the middle, sandwiched between Sam and Evan protectively. The two were in identical fighting poses, facing away from each other.

Carter bent down and picked up one of the electric clubs. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement. She hit the Forever Knight creeping behind her in the head, using the club like a baseball bat. The Forever Knight groaned and fell to the ground.

"Hey look, you're not useless!" Sam told her cheerfully.

"I know right?" Carter said giddily as she swung the club at another Knight.

Kevin punched out a Forever Knight. He yelled, "Hey Gwen, wanna wrap this up?"

"My pleasure," she said like a boss. All of the Forever Knights were swirling in the air, pink mana strips at their waists. They swirled in a circle before they were flung into the door. The wood broke apart and the Knights were out of there.

With the fight over, Ben stood up from the ground. A hand was over the open Omnitrix, an alien hologram at his disposal. "I just couldn't get a break, could I?"

Carter patted his shoulder patronizingly. "Don't worry; I'm sure there'll be a chance when you're not totally useless." She swung the club over her shoulder and walked past him.

"Did she just make fun of me?" Ben whispered to Gwen.

"Obviously," she said flatly.

Everyone walked to the doorway, which led to an underground staircase. The Forever Knights were draped over the stairs, groaning in pain. Sir Morton himself was slumped against the wall, moaning as his helmet slid over his face.

Everyone ignored the heaps of broken bodies and made their way to the dark basement. It was full of strange and diabolical machines. Of course Kevin had to make a comment before the point of the episode came to a head.

"You know, most accidents do happen in the home," he quipped.

A convenient spotlight lit up, illuminating the scientist underneath it. "Ah, you young people are so amusing." Everyone was shocked for a second…

…and then Ben decided to step up to the plate. "And you would be?"

"Dr. Joseph Hedrick," the scientist revealed for the first time this episode, "director of technology for the Forever Knights. And you," he growled at the boy, "are the meddler who freed our ancient enemy, the dragon!"

"I wouldn't say meddler," Ben said sheepishly.

"Fuck that! Tell me where my dog is before I beat it out of you!" Carter pointed an accusing finger at the scientist, hell-bent fury scrawled over her face.

The scientist eyed her coolly before allowing himself to triumphantly smirk. "Your dog?" he drawled, teasing her. "Ah, is this what you mean?" He held up a remote control and pressed a button. The lights beside lit up, and there was Ship.

Only it wasn't him, not really. He was _enormous_, twice the size of a normal airplane. His wigs elongated form the sides before turning downward, revealing a multitude of alien weaponry. In fact, he was made up of alien weaponry, all blocks and missiles and lasers.

But that wasn't the worst part. Oh no. The worst part was that Ship's circuit design wasn't the familiar green Carter associated him with. No; it was an evil red color. Ship wasn't himself anymore.

The alien vessel hovered over them all, air blowing downward as he lifted himself up. "_SSSHHHHIIIIIPPPPP,"_ he said in a demonic voice. It seemed to come from the depths of hell itself.

The good guys were staring in pure shock before they all glared at Hedrick. The scientist continued to smirk as Forever Knights flanked him, electric clubs in their hands. Even Sir Morton was there, which was strange since he had been clearly knocked out earlier.

(The author smells a plot hole, but for the sake of the story, she will continue on as if she hadn't noticed it.)

Infer-red lights shot out of Evil Ship. There were dozens of them aimed right at the people he once considered family, all six of them. He didn't care.

"Oh this is so not good," Evan pointed out obviously.

"Looks like an Ontarian Obliterator," Kevin noted coolly. "_Nasty_ piece of work."

Ben's hand hovered over the Omnitrix. "How nasty?"

"Fire!" Hedrick commanded. Evil Ship sent out a gigantic laser at the group. Everyone dodged to the sides as the laser hit the floor where they once stood. The ground immediately blew up in a shower of fire.

When the fire settled down a bit, Kevin piped up, "Stay-out-of-the-way nasty."

Carter poked her head out from whoever was holding her down. She saw a green sleeve in the corner of her eye-it was Ben. Strange; he wasn't holding her down. Yes, he was on top of her, but she wasn't trapped under him like she thought.

Wait. Was he protecting her? Just because he was her boyfriend-

…Oh. So that's what he meant earlier when he said it was too dangerous. He had been concerned for her well-being-he was still concerned. Not that it was necessary-she had faced plenty worse- but given his earlier behavior it made a lot of sense.

...Wow, was she dense.

"How do we stop that thing?" Ben shouted. Carter cringed, since she had a front row seat to hear him.

"We can't! That thing's a flying arsenal!" Kevin yelled.

"Fire!" Hedrick screamed. "_Fire_! _FIRE!_"

Another laser shot out of Evil Ship followed by shots from one of the artillery cannons. Everyone ran out of the way-Ben quickly pulled Carter up by her arm. They tried to make it to shelter only to have two laser blasts block their way.

"Fuck…Fuck!" Carter growled under her breath. Ship wasn't supposed to act this way. He was supposed to wag his tail and bop his head and bleat, "Ship!" happily. He wasn't a weapon, not really. He was a mischievous pet who couldn't hate anyone.

But now he was a monster. All thanks to those Forever Knights.

Kevin had slid to the floor and absorbed the ground only to have two inferred lasers peg him. Evan stood in front of him and whipped up a quick earth shield straight from the ground. The laser hit and the shield cracked apart. Evan was sent back into a metal machine, his body forming a dent in the metal. Blood was seeping out of his mouth and his eyes widened and he fell to the floor in a heap.

While Kevin was dragging him to safety, Sam sent some fireballs at Hedrick. He and the Knights dodged (they screamed like little girls, but they still dodged the attack). And then, to protect his new masters, Evil Ship sent a barrage of shots at her.

Gwen created a mana shield to protect Sam, but the energy splintered apart. The shots hit and Sam fell to the floor with smoke around her.

Carter's eyes widened. Her throat closed on her. Tears were welling up in her eyes as the sight of fallen Evan and Sam in broken heaps flashed in her mind. Ship wasn't supposed to do that to them. He loved Sam and Evan.

He attacked thanks to those damn Forever Knights.

Kevin and Gwen were gearing up for another attack. Ben had a hand over his Omnitrix, anger etched on his face. They were going to attack Ship because he was evil.

_And he was evil thanks to those damn Forever Knights. _

An animalistic shriek tore form Carter's throat. She couldn't see anymore; panic was blinding her. She could feel herself running, no sliding- her ice powers were making her slide across the floor at lightning speeds. The Forever Knights were getting closer, closer, closer-Hedrick was yelling at Ship-_THOSE DAMN FOREVER KNIGHTS WERE YELLING AT SHIP-_

One of the Knights was holding an electric club. Carter turned her fingers to ice and sliced it in half. And then she grabbed the Knight and threw it into another one. They were closing in on her, the electric clubs were sparking, and Evil Ship was hovering over her menacingly-

Carter grabbed another Forever Knight and slammed her knee into his stomach. Then she threw him against the other three and they stayed down. She could hear footsteps rushing behind her. She slammed her fist into Sir Morton's chest, sending him to the ground.

She landed on his chest and punched him in the face. His electric club went skidding across the floor. He reached for it but then another fist landed on his face. Carter was punching him, making blood spurt everywhere because this was the man who took Ship, put him in a glass prison and turned him into a monster-

Sir Morton's face was no longer recognizable. Carter stood up, back straight. She turned her head sharply in a possessed motion. She stalked over to Hedrick. He was holding a club, the electricity fizzling around it.

"Fire!" he commanded Evil Ship. But the behemoth stood by and watched. In fact, everyone was watching. Kevin and Gwen were holding Sam and Evan up in a strange four person chain, and Ben was off to the side slightly. They were all watching transfixed.

But that didn't matter. The haunted look in Carter's eyes faded because _they were all safe_. Ship hadn't done any lasting damage to them; he could still be saved.

She turned to the scientist and uttered a single word: "Why?"

Hedrick blinked, eyebrows crinkled in puzzlement. He didn't lower the club. "What?"

"Why Ship? Why did you turn him into a monster?" Her voice was level. Her eyes were clear, the blind panic fading fast.

"He was always a monster," Hedrick sneered.

"Does a monster know how to play patty-cake?"

Hedrick's eyes widened incredulously. The club lowered slightly.

"Does a monster enjoy making his family smile? Does a monster use his powers to make people happy?" Tears were sliding down her face but her voice wasn't cracking. "How can Ship possibly be a monster?"

Sparks were fizzling out of Ship. He was panicking, his red lights switching between red and green. Something was wrong he was supposed to listen to the scientist with the remote not the crying girl why was this happening why did he care-

Oh. He liked her smile.

He liked to see Carter smile.

Rapidly the red slid off of Ship, turning into his normal green and black color. Carter was walking over to the other side of the void; she didn't want to be near Hedrick any more than she had to. Ship was turning smaller, smaller, spinning in midair until he was back into his normal blobby form.

He bounded over to Carter leaping into her arms like always. He was purring, his little green tongue flicking out and licking the tears off her face. When they were gone he put his head on her shoulder and purred loudly.

Sam tapped Ship on the head, interrupting the reunion. "Ship, could you turn back into the Obliterator?" she asked pleasantly. "You got a score to settle with him."

Ship turned his head to Hedrick, the only Forever Knight standing. Ship shook before leaping into the air. He was transforming, turning larger and larger until he was once again the Ontarian Obliterator. A single green laser cannon was aimed at the scientist.

Hedrick gulped and held up his hands. "I surrender."

Carter had an idea. She had a horrible idea. She had a horrible, _brilliant_ idea.

"Ship!" she called out. "Blow this place sky high!"

"I don't like where this is going!" Kevin shouted fearfully.

Ship ignored him, sending out a barrage of lasers at the scientist. He was lost in the onslaught, the smoke clouding everything. Ship chose that moment to set himself down and open the hatch, leading the six out of seven members of his family to safety. Once everyone was inside he closed the hatch and flew upwards, sending a grenade at the ceiling.

The roof flew apart. And to add insult to injury Ship sent down a few more bombs, sending the place sky high as he flew away.

* * *

><p>Ship should have landed in the Valentine backyard. Instead he hovered over the yard and dropped everyone before turning back into his lovable canine self. He bounced around happily, bleating "Ship, ship!" as everyone got their bearings.<p>

"Evan, Sam, you okay?" Carter asked the first one to recover.

Sam scoffed. "Do you honestly think I'd die because of Ship?" She scratched the dog's head affectionately. "And I'm pretty sure the only reason Evan coughed up blood was because he hit his head again. Hey, Evan, how's your head?"

"Thinking good and stuff."

"See, he's fine," Sam dismissed with a wave of her hand.

"I doubt it," Gwen muttered under her breath.

"What I want to know was who taught that thing patty-cake." Kevin pointed at Ship who was rubbing his head against Evan's leg.

"I did," Evan answered.

"Of course you did," he muttered. "Why?"

"Because the author thought it was cute."

"I got a few words to say to her," Kevin growled. (The author looked up from her computer fearfully. She quickly made a plan to buy a baseball bat as soon as possible.)

Sam took Ship's blobby hands into hers and started to play patty-cake. Ship bleated happily and followed along easily.

"That's adorable," Gwen said as almost everyone crowded around them. Ben pulled Carter aside to the other side of the lawn, far away from their friends.

"I'm sorry," was the first thing he said.

"I don't believe you."

"What? Why?"

"Because if he hadn't been kidnapped you never would have cared about him," Carter pointed out. "The only reason why you came along was because I was going to save him."

"That-! Okay, that's kind of true," Ben admitted, "but even if he wasn't your pet I still would have saved him."

"So the Forever Knights wouldn't get their hands on a super weapon."

"You have to admit Ship is a weapon," Ben said seriously. His eyes softened. "But it's kind of hard to believe when you see him like that." They both turned to see Ship turning into a bicycle. He started to butt Kevin in the arm, making him yell and run away. Ben had to laugh with the rest.

"I'm sorry for not caring before," he finally said, turning back to her.

Carter gave him a half-smile. "I'm sorry for not telling you about him before. I guess I was afraid of your reaction."

"My reaction?"

"You did say he was a menace."

Ben held up a finger and opened his mouth. He thought better of it and clammed up. He put his two forefingers together in a sheepish motion. He looked so cute and innocent Carter had to hug him.

Just as Ben was about to hug her back he felt something hit his legs. He nearly buckled, Carter having to pull him up. They both looked down to see Ship in front of them. But instead of his usual circular eye, the top half was caved into a glare.

"Uh, Ship?" Ben said hesitantly. "…Good boy?"

Ship swiftly turned his head away from him. He was clearly pouting.

"I guess he must not like you with me," Carter noted to Ben's chagrin.

"Or maybe he knows you're his deadbeat dad!" Evan shouted from across the lawn.

"Shut up Evan!" Ben yelled back.

"Batman doesn't need to shut up! Batman is the terror that flaps in the night!"

"It's morning!" Carter yelled back. Her voice lowering she turned to Ship. "If you got your revenge on Ben, would you feel better?"

"What?"

Ship's eye widened and nodded his head. "Get your revenge!" Carter called as she ran away.

"_What?_" Ben turned to Ship's single eye-he was totally smirking- and stared in horror as the alien pet leaped into the air. He was transforming, turning bigger and ball-like…

…Was he turning into a giant ball?

Ben closed his eyes as Ship landed on him.

* * *

><p>Carter was the first to get to the crater. Ship was staring at Ben's unconscious body, a content look on his face. Or it would be content if he could show emotions.<p>

Carter kneeled down in time to see Ben's eyes flicker. He groaned and peered over at Carter. She leaned over him, her hair falling on his face.

"Did Ventus tell you about that Victoria's Secret coupon?" she whispered. He could feel her breath on his face.

He muttered a quiet, "Yes."

"I told Aquaria to tell him that so you would find out. I lied."

Ben's eyes snapped open. "Why?"

She smirked. "So I could make you regret not wanting to spend time with me." She stood up and walked away with a bounce in her step, Ship bounding after her.

Ben stared up at the sky and angrily muttered one word: _"Girls."_

* * *

><p><em>Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Or at least angry.<em>

_So, thoughts?_


	46. In which Ben just can't catch a Break

Chapter 46: In Which Ben just can't catch a Break

..._I have way too many references in here. Seriously, one from Yu-Gi-Oh! Abridged, one from Yu-Gi-Oh! Season Zero Abridged, and even one very obvious Mortal Kombat reference. I didn't even notice them while I was writing the chapter; it wasn't until I proofread it the first time that I got them all. I would have changed them, but they seemed to fit with the overall feeling of the chapter. So see if you can find them. XD_

_Also, the Knife Game can be found on Wikipedia. Just in case you were curious._

* * *

><p>"How is he so energetic?" Kevin demanded to know.<p>

"He gets his energy from technology," Carter said. "…I think."

"Can't you calm him down?" Evan moaned. "I feel like taking a nap just from watching him."

And all this time Ship had been bouncing around the living room like a little kid hopped up on Red Bull.

Last night had been the Forever Knight attack. The team should have been home, snuggled in their beds (or pretending to wake up due to how early it was). But no; they were in the Valentine manor resting for the morning. Well, everyone except Ship. He was just bouncing off the walls.

"Ship, calm down," Carter ordered. The Mechamorph stopped bouncing long enough to leap into her lap. He gave a loud purr before resting his head off the side of her thigh. Sam sat down next to her and Ship elongated his head so she could pet him.

Ben, who had been pacing slightly, said, "So let me get this straight: all of you knew about Ship."

Gwen, who was leaning against the wall, answered: "Yep."

"And no one bothered to tell me."

"We were waiting for Carter to say something," Sam said as she scratched Ship's head.

"Well, it wasn't like we were sworn to secrecy or anything," Kevin began. Sam shot him a look.

"But Carter had to be the one to tell him," she insisted. "Ship's her pet. She had to be the one to announce it."

"Though if you guys told him for me, it would have saved me a lot of trouble," Carter said flatly.

"Can you not talk about me like I'm not here?"

"No can do good buddy," Evan told his doppelganger. He was stretched out on the loveseat, one hand behind his head while the other over the edge, nearly hitting the coffee table. Kevin was sitting across the room from him, leaning into the armchair, his arms crossed.

An angry rock tune exploded through the room. Sam got out her cell phone from her boot and looked at the caller ID. There was no name, just a phone number. But it was one she recognized.

"I need to take this," she said getting up. As she left the room Ben plopped himself down in her spot. Ship retracted his head and jumped off of Carter's lap and made his way over to Kevin. He leaped onto the armrest so the boy could pet him.

Ben stared at the dog, the rejection stinging. "How does he still not like me? He already got his revenge."

"Maybe he just needs to get used to you," Carter suggested. The hurt look on his face refused to leave.

A knocking came from the wall. Everyone looked over to see a well-dressed man with windblown blond hair and a scratchy beard walk in. A lit cigarette dangled from his lips.

"_Phineas?_" Ben exclaimed.

"Who?" Gwen asked.

"Get that thing out of my house." Carter glared at the cigarette like it insulted her personally. Phineas chuckled as he took the cancer stick out of his mouth. He then threw it at Carter, who quickly doused it with water. The damp butt of the cigarette fell to the floor.

"Why'd you do that?" Evan asked getting off the loveseat.

"Didn't feel like putting it out myself," Phineas answered.

"What are you even doing here?" Ben asked getting up.

"I told you; I know Isaac. I had some business with him today," his grandfather answered. "He mentioned you were here, and since it's time for our weekly training session, I'd thought we'd just do it here."

"Training session?" Kevin asked from across the room.

"Yeah; I'm the one teaching Ben how to use his god powers."

"So you're that Phineas," Gwen said walking up to him. "Why haven't we met you before?"

"I'm a busy man, Gwendolyn. I can't always visit."

"How do you know my name?"

"I forgot to introduce myself." Phineas held out a hand. "I'm Phineas Carmichael, your grandfather from Ben's mother's side."

Gwen stared at him, forgetting the handshake. Her mouth dropped open; she tried to form words, but her voice wasn't working. She stared at her cousin, who shrugged his shoulders.

Finally she found her voice. "_How_? We've never met you, you've never been at any family reunions, and Aunt Sandra's never mentioned you-"

"I'm the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company," Phineas interrupted. "That's not something you go around telling people. And like I said, I'm a busy man."

"A multi-billion dollar company?" Kevin stuttered out. "Is Ben in line for the inheritance?"

"Dude!"

"Ben's not smart enough to handle that responsibility," Phineas said bluntly.

"Dude." Ben glared at him.

Phineas turned to Gwen. "I might give it to you though. You definitely got the brains of the family."

"I don't want your company," Gwen said hotly. "I just want answers. Like how Sandra is one of you even though she doesn't have any powers."

"I need to sit down for this." Phineas settled down on the loveseat, pushing Evan out of the way. He crossed his legs and stretched his arms out so that they rested on either side of top of the couch-like a rock star making room for his groupies.

"There's really not much to the story," Phineas began. "Sandra's mother-your grandmother-was a normal human. I always planned on telling Sandra about the whole Slayer mess but she never exhibited any signs of having powers. She behaved like a normal human and had the strength of a normal human. I'm guessing the Slayer gene skipped her and put itself in Ben."

Kevin raised his hand like he was in school. "So if you're related to Sandra, then explain Ben's dad."

"He's a good man. I like him."

"I mean, is he related to any Slayers?" Kevin explained.

"No, he's a completely normal human. Or as normal as you can be with Anodite DNA," Phineas added as an afterthought.

"Then why do Evan and Ben look like twins if they're not related to each other?" Kevin gestured to the two boys, who were now standing beside each other.

Phineas shrugged. "That's just a cosmic joke."

"A cosmic joke," Gwen repeated, not believing it.

"How else would you explain it?"

Oh, I don't know, maybe there's more alien DNA in my family then meets the eye?" Ben said caustically.

Phineas rolled his eyes. "Save your hissy fits for someone who cares. We got training to do."

"Here? Now?" Ben spluttered, completely off guard.

"Cordelia's got her own time pocket. She said we could use it." He turned to the others. "You guys can't get in, but I can rig it so you can watch the training on the TV. You can watch me beat Ben up."

"I'm game," Kevin said excitedly.

"No, we're not doing that!" Ben exclaimed.

"Let's ask Ship," Evan said. Carter picked up the Mechamorph off the ground and faced him to the audience.

"Do you want to see Phineas beat Ben up?" she asked him. Ship eagerly nodded his head and bleated, "Ship! Ship!"

"The almighty Mechamorph has spoken!" Evan shouted.

"I HATE YOU ALL!" Ben cried out.

As Ben continued to protest his inevitable humiliation, Sam poked her head through the living room doorway. She beckoned to Kevin, who eventually noticed her in between Ben's yelling. He slipped out the room like a ninja and met Sam in the hallway.

"What's up?"

"I got a call from the specialist I was telling you about."

"You mean the guy who might test me to see if I pass high school?" Kevin asked. He quickly searched her face; there was no emotion besides the neutral expression she often carried. "What'd he say?"

Sam's face broke out into a huge grin. "He's going to test you next week."

Kevin grinned and nearly jumped up and down from happiness. But since he had too much pride to do that, he settled from waving his arms slightly as he opened and closed his mouth, unsure of what to say.

Amused by Kevin's awkward spasms, Sam gave him a huge bear hug, which he reciprocated. They were rocking slightly, their excitement growing and growing with each passing second.

And then Kevin stopped. The grin melted off his face. He let go of Sam, his arms dropping to his sides. She stared at him, bewildered, as she saw the terrified look on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"_I need to study._"

"…_You're_ telling me you need to study?"

In a clearly panicked motion, he ran his fingers through his hair. "I need reference books and pencils and notebooks or I'm going to fail. Oh god, I'm not good enough for this, I'm going to fail so badly-!"

Sam slapped him, shutting him up. It was a light slap-a love tap really- but Kevin still put a hand to his cheek and stared at her shocked.

"Calm down," she told him sternly. "You don't need any damn reference books and you're sure as hell not going to fail. You've got brains, Levin, you just need to use them. All you need is a few sharpened number two pencils and suit to wear so you can impress the specialist."

When Kevin didn't respond, she grabbed him by the shoulders and said, "You. Will. Be. Fine. Do you understand me, Kevin Levin? Do you?"

Kevin nodded and gulped after seeing the fiery look in her eyes. "Yes."

She pecked him on the cheek and said, "Let's go and see Ben get beat up by an old man."

* * *

><p>"So explain to me again how this time pocket thing works," Gwen said to Evan. They were all situated in the living room. The girls were sitting on the couch while the two boys were sprawled on the floor, each at one end of the coffee table. Ship was purring in Gwen's lap while she absentmindedly scratched his head.<p>

"Basically, it's a little hole between dimensions that very few people can access," Evan explained.

"You can do whatever you want in there, like fighting," Carter interjected. "But what's most important is that time moves differently in there."

"A few minutes pass out here, but it could be hours in the pocket," Sam finished. "You can probably create one Gwen."

"So if it takes hours in there for Ben to train, won't it take hours for us to watch him?"

"You'll have to watch to see what happens," Evan said cryptically.

"Shh! It's starting," Kevin hissed as Ben walked across the television screen.

It was dark inside the time pocket, pitch black in fact. Ben was standing in the middle of it, or what passed as the middle. He had forgone his signature jacket so it looked as if his torso were a part of the darkness.

His eyes were closed for some reason. He seemed to just be standing there, waiting. And where was Phineas in all this?

Ben opened his eyes and flew to the side as the older man slammed into Ben's old spot. He left a smoking crater as he stalked across the room.

Ben generated a ball of lightning and threw it at Phineas, who quickly absorbed it. In a burst of speed he flew across the room, his feet barely skimming the ground. He heaved his fist at his grandson's face; Ben barely dodged in time.

And so it went. Phineas was always on the offensive, punching and kicking and never giving Ben any wiggle room. Ben bobbed and weaved, his feet directing him in circles around Phineas. It was a game of cat and mouse, and it seemed like a game well-known to the two players.

"What are you waiting for?" Kevin yelled at the television. "Punch him already!"

As if to answer his angry cries, Ben hooked his right arm and punched Phineas right in the chin so his head went up. Normally this spelled out a KO for the opponent, but Phineas was hardened from millennia of fighting. He wouldn't go down so easily.

Wind whistled past his form, a hurricane force gale that toppled Ben over. He soared through the air, his back hitting the wall of the time pocket. Blood spurted out of his mouth before he finally fell to the floor. He coughed up more blood, nearly gagging on the stuff.

And the people in the living room could hear every agonizing sound.

"We have to stop this," Gwen declared in a horrified stupor.

"We can't," Evan said in a sort of bored tone. "Once you're in the time pocket, only the spell caster can let you out. No one gets in or out unless Phineas says so."

On the screen, Phineas walked over to his grandson. He had a bored expression on his face to match Evan's.

"It's only been a few days, Ben," he scolded. "You can't be this weak already." He put his foot high up in the air and threw it down on Ben's head. He caught it and flipped the old man over. A ball of lightning fizzled in his hand.

"You were saying?" Ben panted through blood soaked teeth. Phineas gave him a half smile before flipping over and hitting his grandson in the face with his foot.

More punches were thrown at Ben. More balls of lightning were lobbied at Phineas before they were absorbed. Occasionally he sent out another gale force wind to bind Ben, but eventually the teen could fly through the air like an acrobat to dodge. After that he was on the offensive for a short time before Phineas got the upper hand again.

And then finally, _finally_, it all came to an end. Ben had latched onto Phineas's arm and pulled him in, his other fist ready. But Phineas tugged him back and slammed Ben's face into his knee and he fell to the ground in a heap. He was facedown, but everyone knew his face was a mess. Phineas panted slightly, his shirt soaked in his grandson's blood.

Suddenly Ben was lifted up in the air. He hovered slightly before a stretcher appeared beneath him. His arm dangled over the edge. And then the screen went black.

Everyone stared in a shocked silence, even Ship. Finally Carter said, "So that's what Phineas's training sessions look like. Harsh."

"That was…pretty hardcore," Kevin said slowly. He had a whole new respect for Ben for going through that kind of punishment weekly.

"Why didn't Ben ever tell me about this?" Gwen said softly, hurt and worry etched into her voice.

"He was probably afraid of how you'd react to this," Sam told her.

"React to what?" Ben asked as he walked through the doorway. His was completely fine: his clothes were free of their tatters and blood stains, and his face was back to normal. He had a towel over his head to dry his still damp hair.

"Ben!" Gwen cried rushing over to give him a big hug. Kevin slapped him on the shoulder while the other three joined in on the group hug. Ship even nuzzled Ben's leg to show some love.

"Oh, so now you like me," Ben muttered not unhappily.

"How are you even walking right now?" Kevin demanded to know.

"Healing pods," everyone answered.

"But we just saw you on the screen getting the shit beaten out of you."

"I told you, time works differently in the time pocket," Sam said. "While we were watching the fight, Ben was probably in the healing pod resting."

"By the way, where's Phineas?" Evan inquired.

"Oh he left saying I should get out of the house and go to the mall or something," Ben said dismissively.

"That's right, we were supposed to go to the mall last night," Carter finally remembered.

"Yeah, it's still early," Gwen said. "We should have the day to relax."

"And you can't get out of it this time." Carter gave Ben a smirk. He groaned.

Evan put an arm around his shoulders and said, "Don't worry; you'll feel better after a sing along."

"Oh God no," Kevin whimpered.

* * *

><p><strong>Twenty Minutes Later<strong>

Kevin was laughing uproariously.

It had all started with a game between Evan and Ben. It was a simple game to pass the time as Carter went off to find Isaac. She had to make sure someone would watch Ship while she was gone so he wouldn't get up to any high jinks. Cordelia was also there, but she wasn't considered a very good role model, so Isaac it was.

Anyway, the game Ben and Evan played was the Knife Game. Basically they took a knife-or a pencil- and stabbed between each finger. The goal was not to stab any finger while they played. To make sure neither would easily lose, they did the simple version of the game, stabbing all the spaces in order from the thumb to the pinkie and back again.

Despite the simplicity Ben lost three times. He claimed he kept screwing up because he was new to the game. Kevin could have concurred, but he didn't after seeing the evil look in Evan's eyes.

"You lost three times," he said chuckling. "You gotta take the punishment game."

"There isn't a punishment game after the Knife Game," Sam had pointed out. Evan had glared at her.

"He's still gotta do a punishment game."

"Or how about I don't take the punishment?"

"Or how about I decide the penalty," Sam said. Evan pouted and tried to protest but was cut off by the evil smirk Sam was wearing.

"The penalty is simple: Ben's gotta sit in someone's lap on the ride to the mall."

"That's it?" Ben said furrowing his brow. "I guess that's not so bad."

"I don't like that look on your face," Gwen said as the evil grin on Sam's face grew wider.

That led to twenty minutes later, when everyone was on the way to the mall. Carter had come back after making sure Ship was babysat, and everyone except Sam and Kevin moved to the backseat. And then Sam revealed who Ben had to sit on.

That led to Kevin choking on his laughter as he saw Evan's horrified expression. Ben's face as he was forced to sit on a guy's lap was just as priceless. For a second Kevin stopped laughing and pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. And then he turned his head towards the backseat and then started laughing again, this time clutching the steering wheel while his other hand slapped the dashboard.

"I hate you so much," Evan snarled at Sam. She gave him a cheeky grin.

"Don't be a bitch, bitch."

* * *

><p>"So which store do we hit first?" Evan asked once inside the mall. He was in a much better mood than in the car.<p>

"I got credit and gift cards that I never used, so anywhere's fine with me," Carter said dismissively.

"Never?" Sam asked her. "I used all of mine for science."

"What do you mean for science?" Gwen asked. Evan made an "oh!" sound, which meant that he knew what Sam was talking about.

"You mean…?" Evan trailed off. "You left a trail?"

"So did you."

"No I didn't. I gave you the money-_you bitch_."

Sam blew him a kiss, which just infuriated him more.

"What are you talking about?" Kevin asked now totally confused.

Carter furrowed her brow before getting it. "Oh, are you guys talking about those prototypes you cooked up a year ago? Yeah, it's not that bad," she added for Gwen and Ben's benefit.

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "What exactly did they make a year ago?"

Sam looked around. "This isn't the best place to be talking about it."

"Ah, crap, it's illegal isn't it?" Gwen muttered under her breath.

"It's more of a gray area when you think about it," Evan pointed out. He turned to Kevin. "You want in on it?"

Kevin shrugged. "Sure."

"No you can't be in on it," Sam told him sharply. She gave a glare which made Kevin remember the specialist.

"Oh right. Yeah, I can't," Kevin told the brunette, who was looking at the two of them confused. So were the other three people in the group.

"What's going on between you two?" Ben asked.

"Not telling," the couple said in cadence. They both gave easygoing smiles, which just made the conversation even more unsettling.

Suddenly a group of kids passed by, quickly heading to the center of the mall. They were all dressed in bright colored t-shirts and jeans. A few of them even had hipster glasses on.

Evan immediately went up to one of them and asked, "What's the rush?"

The hipster sneered at him. "You probably haven't heard, but there's a new game multiplayer game out."

Evan arched an eyebrow. "Really? Which company made it?"

"Force Industries. Why else would so many people come?"

Evan flashed him a knowing smile. "That's what I thought. I also heard that the game doesn't come until next week."

The hipster scoffed. "I don't know what fan website you got your information from, but it's obviously wrong."

Evan rolled his eyes. "Please, poser, I know my videogames." He started to walk away. "I'll prove to you that you're wrong."

The hipster followed him. "Like Hades you will!"

Once the two were out of sight, Gwen turned to the others. "What just happened?"

"He just ditched us to argue with hipsters." Sam face palmed. "He's gonna be gone all day."

"At least it gives me a chance to get Evan's present," Ben said. He turned to Carter. "Take me to Hot Topic!"

"You don't know where it is?" Carter flashed him a smirk. "It's right by Victoria's Secret."

Ben's face dropped. And then it puckered into an angry pout. He shook his finger at Carter's shit-eating grin and said, "I dislike you so much right now."

"Bitch, please. You're obviously in love with me."

Ben snorted trying to regain some dignity. "After that little joke you pulled, I don't think so."

"You actually went through with that?" Sam piped up. Ben whirled around, shocked, as Carter burst into laughter.

"Went through with what?" Gwen asked, feeling out of the loop.

"Well, after Ben refused to go to the mall with us the first time, Carter figured it was because he didn't want to go shopping with a bunch of girls," Sam began. Carter stopped laughing long enough to continue.

"He said he was doing homework, which I knew was a lie," she said. "I mean, who does homework on a _Saturday_?"

Kevin scoffed. "Nice excuse Tennyson."

"Shut up!"

"So I told Evan to tell Ben that I had a coupon for Victoria's Secret," Carter finished. "I just left him to his imagination."

Gwen slowly turned to her cousin, a neutral expression on her face. Meeting his embarrassed face, she said, "Pervert."

"I'm a teenage boy!" Ben cried. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Quite a few things if you think about it," Kevin noted. He wore a shit-eating grin of his own.

Everyone stepped away from Ben and said, "Eeeewwww."

"OH _SHUT UP_!"

Carter quickly got over her disgust and grabbed his arm. "Come on, I'll take you to Hot Topic. You know the one by the Victoria's Secret."

"Stop it!" Ben yelled nearly in tears.

"I'll go too," Kevin said. "Watching Ben squirm is very entertaining."

"From the look of things, it's Pick on Ben Day," Gwen noted as they walked down the hall. Or being dragged against his will by his Goth girlfriend; as was Ben's case.

Sam walked up to Ben and quickly whispered in his ear: "If she ever does get a coupon, she'll totally let you pick out the colors."

Ben's eyes welled up with manly tears.

* * *

><p><em>The reason why Ben and Evan look like each other really is just a cosmic joke. There isn't some special reason; I did it for shits and giggles.<em>

_As for everyone picking on Ben...yeah, I don't know. It all just kind of wrote itself out. But considering how Ben acts in later seasons, putting him down a few pegs early on in the story could help with his later character development. I dunno._

_So, thoughts anyone?_


	47. Ben's Fall from Grace

Chapter 47: Ben's Fall from Grace...

_So .12 said she wanted more romance in the story along with Ben becoming master of his powers. Well, I can only promise the romance part because 1) Ben's a teenager and teenagers can't really become masters of their powers because there's so much to learn, and 2) the original plot tends to take precedence over Ben's training. I'm trying to fix that somewhat, but as fair warning, it's going to be spaced out._

_On the plus side, there's romance in this chapter. It's more of a tease, but it's something._

_Also, can you spot the two That 70's Show references?_

* * *

><p><strong>7:00 AM<strong>

**Monday morning, before school**

Carter and Sam were right outside Evan's room. They had their backpacks on with one of Evan's presents in each. Sam had her beloved chainsaw out.

"You ready?" she asked her friend.

"Bring it," Carter said with an evil smile. Both girls put on Leatherface masks. Carter slowly opened the bedroom door with Sam right behind her. They could hear Evan's loud snoring before they saw him.

They walked over the dusty carpet littered with clothes-he really needed to vacuum-and crept up to the bed. They were a good two feet away from Evan, who was still frolicking in the land of sleep. There was some drool on his face, his mouth slightly open.

Sam revved the chainsaw. It roared loudly, sending Evan jumping out of bed. He screamed as he saw the two cannibals leering at him. And then he grabbed his chest and glared at them, panting audibly.

Sam turned off the chainsaw and the two girls pulled off their masks. "Happy birthday!" they trilled, brandishing their gifts. Evan muttered something unintelligently-they could tell it was bad though- before taking the presents.

"I'll open them later," he said spitefully, his breathing ragged. "Now can I get changed or is Kevin in my closet waiting to jump out at me with a knife?"

"No he's outside with your present," Carter said. She then called out, "Get out of there Ben, he's on to us." Evan whipped his head around to his closet as the doors slid open. Ben, in a white t-shirt covered in red food coloring, appeared. His face was caked with gray zombie makeup and some fake blood dribbled around his mouth.

"How did you get in my closet?" Evan demanded to know.

"How did you find a sombrero in my room?" Ben shot back.

Once Ben had cleaned up and changed, he met everyone outside. Gwen was leaning against a car-Kevin's birthday gift to Evan. But it wasn't just any old car.

It was an Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser, just like the one in That 70's Show.

But before Evan could pronounce his undying love for the automobile, Gwen walked up to him and gave him a big bear hug. "Happy birthday!" she said handing him a small green bag.

"Aw, thanks," he said. "It's nice to know not everyone wants me to scream like a little girl today." He shot a glare at the others, who grinned back.

"Oh, yeah, I left you a toy TARDIS in your closet," Ben blurted out, a shit-eating grin on his face. Evan flipped him off.

"That reminds me…" He slowly studied the car, checking every nook and cranny he could find. He even got on the ground and looked underneath the car.

"Evan, do you honestly think Kevin would dress up and scare you with the car?" Sam asked. "For one thing, he's too big to hide in the trunk. Another thing: if he wore monster makeup he wouldn't hide in the car. He wouldn't want to damage the seats."

Evan got off of the ground and looked visibly relieved. "You've got a good point. But seriously, where is Kevin? I'd have thought he'd want to show the Cruiser off himself." He put a fond hand on the car door before opening the backseat.

A man in a straightjacket jumped out of the backseat. Evan screamed like a little girl and fell back on the ground. He crawled away from the frothing man with wild, unkempt hair who was growling unintelligible words.

And then the crazy man laughed and said, "Gotcha."

"FUCK YOU!" Evan yelled from the ground.

"_Nice!_" Ben congratulated Kevin. He even clapped.

"I can't believe that worked." Gwen shot Evan an apologetic smile. Evan's eyes filled with manly tears.

* * *

><p><strong>4:00 PM<strong>

**Monday afternoon, after school**

"I HATE YOUR AP CLASSES!" Ben shouted as he flung the papers back onto the coffee table.

Sam picked them up and straightened them out. After handing them back to Carter, she said, "Just because you suck at English doesn't mean you can take it out on Carter's poor essay."

"I know, but how the hell does my teacher expect an average student like me to write _this_?" Ben pointed at the sheets in Carter's hands. The words on there, while not entirely perfect, were something he considered kind of brilliant.

"Dude, just do what I do: copy Carter's work," Sam said flippantly. She and Evan smiled at her.

"I'm not going to be around forever, you know," Carter said miffed.

"Which is why we should monopolize you now," Evan said as he and the other two got out their notebooks. Before they could copy down a word though, the front door opened. Everyone settled back down before they could get caught.

Sandra Tennyson walked in on the four friends in the living room, homework papers strewn across the coffee table. "Hi, kids!" she said cheerfully.

"Hi, Mrs. Tennyson," three of them said while Ben just said, "Hi, mom."

"You kids doing homework?"

"You know it," Sam said. "You aren't by any chance good at writing essays are you?"

"I am, but that doesn't mean I'm going to write it for you," Sandra said slyly. Three out of four teens groaned loudly.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad," Carter protested.

"Of course you say that," Ben said, "you're the Honors English student."

"You'd be in Honors classes to if you just applied yourself," Carter shot back.

"I'm lazy!"

"Obviously."

"Oh don't be so hard on him; he's a good boy," Sandra said motherly. She grinned as her son's face turned red.

"Yeah, he's such a good boy," Sam agreed, reaching across the table to pat Ben's head.

"He's such a good boy." Evan joined in on the petting.

"I don't want to hear that from you," Ben growled.

"Mom, Ben's being mean to me!" Evan cried out.

"Ben, stop picking on your brother," Sandra pretended to scolded him.

"Yeah, just be a good boy." Carter threw her arms around his neck and squeezed. And then Sam came over to his side and hugged him. And then Evan joined in.

"You're such a good boy," the three of them chanted in a patronizing tone, nuzzling his face like he was a particularly cute puppy. "You're such a good boy."

"Little help here!" Ben cried out to his mother. Sandra just laughed as she escaped to the kitchen.

* * *

><p><strong>7:00 PM<strong>

**Monday night**

Sandra and Carl were in the car late at night. They were headed for a diner downtown; it was a date they had planned for some time now. And since Ben and his little friends needed time to finish their essays, it had seemed perfect.

That reminded Sandra of that afternoon. "He's such a good boy," she said fondly.

Carl turned to her from the passenger seat. "Ben Tennyson is _not_ a good boy," he said sternly. And then he smiled. "He's a _great_ boy! I don't know if it's bad karma to pat ourselves on the back Sandra, but we've done a pretty good job as parents."

"Well, we haven't stifled him," Sandra explained. "Allowing a child to explore the wholeness of his entire being-"

She would have gone on, but then a sudden explosion front the front cut her off. She swerved and hit the brakes as fast as she could, the tires screeching. Wisps of smoke erupted from the tires, but it didn't compare to the smoke from the bonfire in front of the car.

Once they had calmed down a bit, Sandra and Carl stepped out of the vehicle and stared transfixed at the flames. And then they heard the sudden sounds of large feet hitting the pavement. It was an inhuman sound-what kind of person could make such loud footsteps?

And then the smoke cleared slightly, just enough for them to see a white monstrosity-no, a High Breed staring down at them. And then they saw flashes of pink hit the sound of the alien's face, the energy making sounds like breaking glass. Carl took that moment to lead him and his wife to safety.

As they ran they could see a teenage boy running up to the carnage. Carl stopped and yelled, "Hey, kid, you're going the wrong-!" He stopped and his jaw dropped. Sandra stared at him before turning to the kid he was yelling at.

It was Ben. Ben was running towards the monster.

Like the good parents they were Carl and Sandra immediately ran after him, trying to get his attention. They only stopped when they heard the sounds of more explosions. Then they hid in an alley to scope it out.

Gwen and Kevin were keeping the High Breed busy while Ben snuck up from behind. The High Breed suddenly picked up the yellow van the Tennyson parents were just in and threw it at Kevin. He dodged in time; it also proved to be the distraction Ben needed.

He quickly turned to his Omnitrix and turned into a giant plant with fire on its head. "Swampfire!" he shouted.

"_Ben?!"_ exclaimed his parents from the alley.

Back over on Kevin and Gwen's side, the High Breed loomed over them. "I grow weary of your pathetic human interference." He grabbed the nearby street lamp and uprooted it. He held it up, about to hit one of the two vermin in front of him when he heard a small explosion. he could smell smoke from behind; he brought the lamp in front of him to see the light bulb completely destroyed with smoke billowing out from it.

The High Breed turned around in time to see Swampfire jump kick it away from his friends. The High Breed flew through the air, landing an entire block away. Swampfire turned around and asked, "You guys okay?"

"Nice to see ya," Kevin said. "You working flex hours now?"

Heavy footsteps sounded from behind. Swampfire turned in time to get a hook punch to the face. He flew upwards and landed on the pavement with a crash. He lay in his crater, disoriented. The High Breed loomed over him.

"No final words, Tennyson?" he said. "Still reeling from the augmented power of my new form, no doubt." He brought his foot up to stomp Swampfire into submission.

"If you're sayin' you're uglier, you get no argument here!" The High Breed turned around to face Kevin. He was smug for some reason. It infuriated the supposed higher being.

"I defeated Tennyson. What chance has the likes of _you_?"

"Me?" Kevin gestured to himself innocently. "Not much. But her…" He pointed upward. Gwen was running on mana steps, far above the fight. A tentacle appeared from her hands; she swiped the edge of a building, cutting of a corner. It fell right on top of the High Breed creating a huge crash with broken debris flying everywhere.

Gwen jumped down from her great height, the energy around her fingertips fading. She heard footsteps- Kevin was walking towards her. Both calmed down for the moment.

…And then the High Breed erupted from the debris pile, hovering in the air by stretching out hits orange wing flaps. He pointed an accusing finger at the remaining members of the hero squad. "You've already wasted too much of my valuable time. I'll deal with you at my leisure." He then flew away into the night. Gwen and Kevin just watched him go.

And then they realized that Ben hadn't reappeared. "Kevin! Ben's still down!" The two of them ran towards the crater where Swampfire lay unconscious. And then the unconscious alien turned back into Ben, who eventually got up. Unfortunately he had a particularly bad black eye where the High Breed hit him.

"Oh man." Kevin laughed out loud, pointing a finger at the boy and everything.

"What?"

"The High Breed gave you a black eye," he teased. "I like him better already."

Gwen chose to ignore Kevin. "Are you alright?" she asked her cousin.

"I'm fine," Ben said dismissively. "I just want to know where the High Breed went and what he's up to."

"That way." Gwen pointed towards the north.

"The waterfront," Ben elaborated.

"And he looked like a man on a mission," Gwen continued.

"We'll meet at the wharf after dinner and homework," Ben ordered.

"Should I floss too?" Kevin joked.

"You're parents are gonna freak out when they see that eye," Gwen pointed out before the meeting could adjourn.

"I got that covered," Ben said, referring to Carter. "And even if she can't help I'll make something up. My parents will believe anything I tell them. I got this covered," he added confidently.

* * *

><p><strong>7:20 PM<strong>

**Valentine Manor**

"You're a horrible son," Carter told him flatly. They were in her room, with Ben lying on the couch. Carter was sitting in the small space next to him, one glowing blue hand covering the nasty bruise blooming around his right eye.

"I can't help it!" Ben protested. "I can't tell them the truth or they'll freak out."

"True, but you seem awfully confident that they'll believe anything you tell them."

"I never really gave them any reason to doubt me growing up."

"And that's what worries me," Carter admitted. "If you're always honest, how will I ever know that you're _dis_honest?"

Ben's uncovered eye widened. "You can't."

"And that's why I trust Kevin more than you."

"_What?!"_

"I can always trust a dishonest man to be dishonest," Carter told him calmly. "An honest man, now they're tricky." She smirked as he looked guiltily away from her. She removed her hand to reveal the healed eye-there wasn't a speck of bruising around him. But before Ben could sit up, Carter leaned over so that her face nearly touched his.

"Don't feel bad, Benji," she whispered, her gray eyes boring into his green ones. "I've given you every reason not to tell me the truth. Just remember this: I'll _always_ know when you're lying." She brushed a finger against his right eyebrow-his only visible tic. And then she sat up, convinced that Ben was totally mollified now.

He sat up, cheeks slightly pink. "We'll meet up at the wharf, okay?" he said pouting.

"I'll tell Evan and Sam," Carter said. Ben made to move only to realize that she was still sitting beside him, trapping him. Also she had a very, _very_ warm hand on him, just above his left knee. His eyes flickered towards it before going back to Carter's innocent face.

"Carter, I need to go."

"I know." The hand didn't move.

"You're kind of blocking my way."

"I know." Her face was still innocent as ever.

Ben should have been annoyed but he couldn't stop the smile that was spreading across his face. "Move your hand," he finally said.

A shit-eating grin stretched across her face. She was rubbing his leg-she probably would have gone farther until Ben took it off. Laughing slightly he got off the couch. "Who's the girl in this relationship?" he asked.

"Oh, it's definitely you," Carter sneered at him. Ben shot her a half-hearted glare and she burst into giggles.

* * *

><p><strong>7:40 PM<strong>

**Tennyson Home**

When Ben walked through his front door, the first thing he saw was his parents looking sternly at him, arms crossed. "'Sup?" was the best thing he could say.

"Where have you been young man?" Sandra asked seriously.

"I was at the movies with Carter," Ben lied through his teeth. He rubbed the back of his neck like he was guilty. "I know I should have told you, I'm sorry."

"Are you sure you were at the movies?" Carl asked him, eyes narrowed. "And you weren't fighting some _giant alien creature?_"

Ben's eyes widened in shock; his entire carefully built world was crashing down around him.

Disappointed, disgusted looks crossed his parents' faces. "I don't believe it," Sandra practically growled. "You look us straight in the eye and lie to us over and over again."

"We saw you Ben!" Carl cried. "We saw you turn into that thing!"

Ben had to fix this-salvage this somehow-

_**Try denying it, **_Ventus told him in his head. He sounded amused. _**Who knows; it might work.**_

It was worth a shot. "No, I didn't," Ben said quickly. "You just _think_ you saw-!"

Carl took his son's arm and pointed to the watch-like Omnitrix.

"…I can explain."

"Really?" Sandra smiled triumphantly.

Ben sighed, defeated. "Not so much, no."

* * *

><p><strong>7:50 PM<strong>

**Tennyson Living Room**

"…which allows me to access the genetic code of various extraterrestrial forms in order to battle the DNAliens who will stop at nothing in their quest to take over the Earth!" Ben sat back in the armchair as his parents loomed over him.

"And this became your job when, exactly?" Carl interrogated him.

"Five years ago," Ben admitted. "Grandpa Max said we each have a responsibility to-"

Carl made a disgusted sound. "Of course, dad; I should have known. That's so typical!"

"He was more than just a plumber. He-"

"Lied to us!" Carl cut him off. "Your uncle Frank and I _knew_ he had some other life! We knew, and then he lied to us about it all the time! I won't have you lying too!" he added in desperation.

Ben opened his mouth to defend himself, but with one look at his father he knew whatever protest he gave would fall on deaf ears. He slumped defeated.

"It's our own fault," Sandra suddenly realized. "We were too permissive. And what do we get? A fifteen year old son needlessly risking his life."

"Not needlessly, mom!" Ben protested. "It has to be me! The Omnitrix is attached to me; it doesn't come off."

Carl gave him a smug grin. "Oh, it's coming off."

* * *

><p><strong>8:00 PM<strong>

**Tennyson Garage**

Carl threw another destroyed tool onto the growing pile. "Yeah, that's not coming off," he said finally giving up.

"I tried to tell you," Ben said exhausted.

Carl took his son's wrist into his own hand. "Not a scratch!" He allowed himself to marvel the alien device.

"Sorry about your saw blades."

"In any case, you're forbidden from using the Omnitrix. Understand?"

"But dad!" Ben tried pleading one last time. "All of humanity is counting on me!" Carl turned from the door and glared.

"_Understand?_" He slammed the door before he could answer.

Ben picked up his phone, which had been vibrating in his pocket for a while. "This is not a good time, okay?"

* * *

><p><strong>8:02 PM<strong>

**Abandoned Building on the Wharf**

Kevin got off the phone. "He said he'll call back." He turned to Gwen, who was quickly finding things out on the somehow-still-working computer.

"Look at this." Gwen gestured to the green grid on the screen. "This log book shows these frequent freighters bringing in people and goods and shipping out local products."

"So?"

"So this ship, The _Eustacia Vye_, is an unregistered tanker from the tiny island of Castoon."

Evan and Sam melted from the shadows just in time to answer. "You mean that island where they used to do nuclear testing," Sam revealed.

"Are you guys ever going to stop doing that?" Kevin complained.

"No." Evan gave the older teen a look. Kevin just groaned.

"So what do you think Bellwood would be importing from Castoon?" Gwen quickly got back on topic. "And if it is connected to the High Breed, what do the DNAliens want with it?"

While Gwen was speculating, the others could hear the light snarls of evil aliens next to them. Kevin piped up, "Ask 'em!" and pointed out the DNAliens.

Evan immediately leaped to the front and judo flipped one to the ground. Kevin, decked out in armor, kicked one in the gut. It was sent back to Sam, who picked it up by the foot and threw it over her shoulder at another alien. Gwen quickly mana blasted most of them-

* * *

><p><strong>8:05 PM<strong>

**Ben's Room**

Ben quickly picked up his phone and answered. "Yeah?" He could hear growls and the sounds of fighting on the other line.

"Uh, hate to bother you, but we're getting our asses handed to us-oh wait, never mind, Sam just went the Human Torch on them."

"…That's good?"

"Yeah, if you like the smell of slightly burnt DNAlien. At least they're knocked out. So why aren't you here?"

"I'm under house arrest. My parents found out about the Omnitrix and now I'm not allowed to use it."

"Folks mad at you huh?" Kevin knew a little something about angry parents. "Anyway we kind of need you to help finish the job."

"The Pride isn't with you?"

"Only Sam and Evan are. Hey, where's Carter?" Kevin suddenly called out. Ben could hear someone answer. Into the phone Kevin said, "Carter somehow found out about your folks and now she's apparently going over to your house to do damage control."

"I'd like to see her try," Ben scoffed.

"Sam says she can be very persuasive."

Ben quickly flashed back to earlier this evening-had it really only been an hour? The look in her eyes, the confident way she held herself…yeah, she was persuasive all right.

_**Keep it in your pants, she's here, **_Ventus quickly scolded him. The door bell rang that very instant.

"She's here," Ben told Kevin. "Someone will let you know what happens." He hung up and escaped out of his room.

When Ben finally crept downstairs, he could see Carter laughing at something his father said. He finally remembered; his parents thought Carter was normal. He hadn't ratted anybody out so of course they wouldn't suspect her. All she had to do was play dumb and at least she would be in the clear.

"Hey, Ben," she called to him with a wave.

"Carter said she left something here," Carl explained.

"My flash drive," she explained. "I need it for my essay."

"Oh yeah, it's in my room," Ben said, his old lying persona schmoozing back. "I thought it was mine."

"Don't tell me you used it?" Carter asked rhetorically.

"Don't worry, I just saw the files," Ben reassured her. "We should really get labels for that kind of stuff."

Carter joined him on the stairs. "You don't mind me finishing up my essay in your room, do you?" She turned back to his parents even though she wasn't asking them.

"Don't stay in there too long," Sandra warned like a good parent.

"We won't," Ben reassured her. The two teenagers quickly ran into his room. Carter closed the door and put her ear against it. She didn't hear any footsteps climbing up the stairs after them.

"Close your window," she ordered him. Ben looked at the window.

"It's locked."

"Good." Carter calmed down. "So what's the situation?"

"My parents saw me fight that High Breed earlier," Ben quickly explained. "They know about the Omnitrix and think I'm needlessly risking my life. So now I'm under house arrest until further notice."

"Do they know about Gwen?"

"No, I made sure all the blame was on me."

"You're hardly to blame for anything," Carter pointed out. "Sure, you could stop using the Omnitrix, but then humanity would be damned, so it's not like you have a choice."

"Tell that to my parents!" Ben pointed downstairs where his parents were.

"If I did, I'd be giving myself away." Carter walked up to him and put a hand on his cheek. "Gwen found out something about the High Breed. I'll try and sneak you out after you have dinner."

"Sneaking out?" Ben arched an eyebrow. "Sounds fun."

Carter lightly pushed his shoulder and got out the flash drive from her boot. "But first I have to make my story convincing. Turn on your computer."

As Ben did so, he thought out loud: "You know I'm under house arrest. I won't be able to see you much outside of school without my parents breathing down my neck."

"You fail at subtlety." Carter inserted her flash drive into the computer.

"I'm a man wrongfully accused," Ben said melodramatically. He went over to the wall and leaned against it. "These walls will soon be my entire world."

"You also fail at acting."

Ben dropped the pretenses. "Maybe I'd stop if you could just get the hint."

She began typing things down on the computer. "You're parents are downstairs. If we make too loud noises they'd stop us and kick me out."

"Yes, but you can sneak back in at any time."

"You are _desperately_ horny, aren't you?"

Ben sagged against the wall. "_Yes_."

"I'll think about it."

"I need an answer now!"

Carter thought for a long moment, dragging it out so Ben would squirm a little. When she saw the puppy dog face he was giving her, she said, "We might get past second base after dinner."

Ben gave a fist pump.

* * *

><p><em>I did say the romance was more of a tease.<em>

_And yes, the bolded subheadings are inspired by Criminal Minds. I figured, since Ben was under house arrest, it'd be fitting for this arc._

_So, thoughts?_


	48. And his Climb Back Up Again

Chapter 48:...And his Climb Back Up

_One of the reasons why I absolutely adore the episode "Grounded" is the fact that halfway through it, Ben's parents are talking to him like he's a kid who's fallen into a bad crowd, like the one's normal teenagers fall victim to. He isn't and his parents know it, but the idea that they would even assume that Ben is normal is just hilarious to me._

_Now, on with the chapter!_

* * *

><p><strong>8:45 PM<strong>

**Ben's room**

Dinner had been a quiet, awkward affair.

After Carter left, the good mood that had came with her left also. Ben had to deal with his disappointed parents who refused to talk to him more than necessary. It was brutal and harsh, though Ben couldn't exactly blame them. They had found out their son had been lying to them for weeks. And while they were forbidding him from using the Omnitrix, they only had his best interests at heart.

If only they realized that their love for him was going to destroy the world.

And now Ben was in his room, waiting for the signal from Carter. He waited patiently next to the window, eyes on his phone. And then his cell vibrated; he had received a text message from her.

_Try getting out now. Say that Gwen has a school project she needs your help on._

Ben quickly texted back 'okay' and put on his jacket. He walked downstairs into the living room where his parents sat vigil, both of them reading the papers.

"I gotta go help Gwen with an afterschool project," he said quickly.

"And it's homework?" Sandra asked not taking her eyes off her reading.

"Yeah, I promised."

"Okay, since you promised."

Ben quickly ran out the door with his mother calling out, "Be back by eleven!" Without waiting to hear the door slam shut he ran to the side of the house where a girl was waiting for him, her black clothes blending into the shadows.

"Worked like a charm," Ben told her.

"Naturally," she said, holding out a hand. He took it just as Carl Tennyson turned on his flashlight. The two of them could see Ben's parents glaring at them. They quickly separated.

"You can't catch a break, can you?" Carter asked rhetorically as Ben just groaned.

"And what do you think you're doing?" Sandra asked them viciously.

"Sneaking him out for a teenage romp," Carter lied smoothly, jerking a thumb at the boy beside her. Ben blushed slightly, a finger pointed at her as he was about to say something, but whatever he wanted to say was cut off.

"A teenage romp," Carl repeated flatly.

"Yeah, that's what teenage couples do when one of them gets grounded." Carter even had the audacity to smile as she said that.

"And you tell me I need to work on subtlety," Ben said bitingly, the blush still visible.

"Do you really think we're that gullible?" Sandra asked the two of them.

"Of course not," Carter said flippantly. "You were teenagers once too."

"Oh my god shut up!" Ben hissed as his face flamed red.

"Uh-huh, and I'm sure you don't know about the Omnitrix," Carl said sternly, glaring at Carter.

"What's an Omnitrix?" She easily pulled off the confused, ignorant teenage girl part. Everything from her facial expressions to the tone of her voice was a perfect reenactment. Ben was impressed.

"Oh come on, how stupid do you think we look?" Carl cried out angrily. "You two are obviously in cahoots with this whole DNAlien mess. Admit it!"

Carter and Ben eyed each other before they admitted defeat. "Okay, fine, I know about it," she finally said. "I also know that if Ben doesn't use the Omnitrix to stop the DNAlien invasion the entire universe will be either destroyed or enslaved."

Carl and Sandra glared at her. "You're no longer welcome in our home," Sandra said venomously.

Carter narrowed her eyes at them. It was unfair, what they were doing. Refusing to listen to their own son while he tried to explain himself-they were blinded by love and fear and anger, a dangerous mixture that would destroy everything. They couldn't keep doing this to him, this so called protection. They wouldn't stand a chance against a DNAlien, much less a High Breed. Ben was one of the few people who could protect them from the invasion, and they had the audacity to say that he needed protection?

They couldn't get away with this.

"Okay," Carter said slowly, hands up in surrender. "I'll leave. You're just trying to look out for your son and I get that. And I'm sure the human race will thank you for trying to protect him. You know, when _every single person_ _on this planet_ is killed off in the DNAlien onslaught." She waved goodbye as she walked down the driveway, smiling before she melted into the darkness.

After watching her leave on that caustic note, Sandra turned to her son. "What do you see in that girl?" she demanded to know.

Ben thought for a moment and then said, "A lot of things."

* * *

><p><strong>8:50 PM<strong>

**Ben's room**

Ben watched as his mother put his phone into her purse. "I need that!"

"A cell phone is a privilege, not a right," Carl said, putting out that old argument. "You'll get it back when you've proven that we can trust you."

"Ben, are you hanging out with a… _bad crowd_?" Sandra inferred, thinking about his girlfriend.

He balked. "_What_? No!"

"Are they telling you its 'cool' to sneak out?" Carl had curled his fingers into quotation marks halfway through the sentence. "Or to turn in aliens? Or lie to your parents?"

"I need to know who this bad influence is," Sandra insisted. "Their parents need to know what's going on."

_**Would I count as one of those bad influences? **_Ventus asked hesitantly in Ben's head.

_Yes, but my mom can't call _your_ parents. _

_**True. And if they found out you were listening to a voice in your head, they'd put you on medication or in an asylum or something. Just tell them half the truth, okay?**_

Ben turned back to the conversation in front of him. "It's a sacred trust. I cannot divulge that information!"

If Ventus could face palm, he would. _**You call that a half-truth? **_

_But it's true!_

_**You just made yourself more suspicious! Kevin was right, you ARE an idiot!**_

_OH SHUT UP! You're not in my position!_

Sandra was glaring at her son, boring into his eyes. Ben glared back, arms crossed. For a minute it was a stalemate, neither side giving up. And then Ben's eyes widened, he was weakening.

_**Don't give up man, she's winning! **_Ventus cried from the back of his head.

But Ben was losing badly; it was like he was being sucked into a vortex, spiraling down into nothingness. His mouth was opening and words were spilling out without his consent.

* * *

><p><strong>8:00 PM <strong>

** The next night**

"YOU RATTED ME OUT?!" Gwen roared through the home phone. Ben sat up on his bed and pressed his own home phone to his ear.

"I can explain!"

"What's to explain?" Gwen said caustically. "My parents read me the Riot Act when I got home last night! 'How dare you help Ben lie to your aunt and uncle young lady?' _Why did you tell them_? You've gone nose to nose with Vilgax without blinking."

"Vilgax never gave me the mom look," Ben protested. And then he realized how stupid he sounded and gave up. "Sorry."

"You're sorry and I'm grounded, stuck here in the house instead of finding out what the High Breed wants with that freighter."

"Don't worry, Kevin and the Pride are going to check it out tonight," Ben said, grabbing a comic book and leaning back on his bed.

"Kevin and the Pride?" Gwen mused, calming down a bit. "That's an odd combination."

Ben thought for a moment before saying, "Yeah, but they can handle it. As long as they don't split up or do anything stupid." Ben then realized what he just said and face palmed. "And Evan might do something impulsive and stupid. I gotta go."

* * *

><p><strong>8:05 PM<strong>

**The **_**Eustacia Vye**_

Kevin quickly hid behind a shipment of cargo as a DNAlien walked past. After it was gone, he crept behind the nearest pillar just as a second DNAlien walked past. As the lone alien turned around, Kevin crept up beside it, ready to knock it out.

But then the DNAlien jerked sideways, getting pulled into the shadows of the cargo hold. Its mouth was covered; it couldn't scream for help. It struggled before the darkness consumed it, never to be seen again.

And then Evan's head popped out of the shadows and he grinned at Kevin. He then reached out his arms to snag the older teen. He pulled him into the shadows, letting the lukewarm tendrils envelop him. Knowing what was going to happen next, Kevin closed his eyes and braced himself.

When he opened them, he was in one of the many dark rooms of the freighter. Carter and Sam were waiting close by. All four of them were standing on one of many platforms.

And then Kevin got a whiff of the air inside. "Ugh, what stinks in here?"

Sam pointed downward. "That pool of toxic sludge." Kevin leaned over the rails of the platform to stare at the poisonous green depths below him.

"We've already sent a sample of it to Gwen and to Isaac," Carter quickly explained. "We should be getting an answer back soon."

"How did you guys send the sample?" Kevin asked mystified.

"Shadow travel," Carter said.

"That's not just for people?"

"We never said it was," Evan pointed out. Kevin opened his mouth to say something, but then thought better of it. Suddenly he got a phone call. He got out his titanium phone and answered it.

"Castoon only exports one thing," Gwen said over the line. "Bat guano."

"…What is guano?"

"Apparently the berries on the island are radioactive because of the testing. When they're eaten by the bats the resulting waste creates one of the rarest isotopes in the world. But the radiation is so mild that it would take a ton of it to constitute a threat."

"Bat guano huh?" Carter said under her breath, eyeing the substance beneath her. "Glad we're not swimming in that."

"How much can this freighter carry?" Sam asked out loud. Kevin repeated the question, wondering how the two girls could hear the conversation over the phone.

Gwen finally answered, "Fifty thousand tons."

"So in other words, we're standing over a radiation pit," Evan piped up. "That's _great_."

"Sarcasm's my thing!" Carter snapped just as they all heard the sounds of DNAliens surrounding them. Everyone cringed as they heard the nasty sounds of green goo being spat at them. Sam quickly grabbed Kevin and all four melted into the shadows once again. When they reappeared they were out in the open air, hidden between cargo holds.

Kevin was still on the line with Gwen. "Hello? What's going on?" her frantic voice sounded over the air waves.

"We just got out of a DNAlien mess," Kevin quickly answered. "Hey, how many DNAliens are there anyway?"

Carter thought for a moment. "I don't know the exact amount, but I'm guessing a small army with a single commanding officer."

Everyone said in unison: "Ben."

"We're going to need backup," Kevin told Gwen on the phone. "Think you can let him know what's going on? It'd be too dangerous for me to call the both of you too often."

"I'm on it," Gwen said resolutely before hanging up. Kevin put away his cell phone and turned to the others.

"So what's the plan?"

"I'd rather just sink this ship to the bottom of the ocean, but with all the radioactive bat guano on board…" Sam trailed off and turned to Carter.

"It'd be an environmental disaster of epic proportions." The Goth sighed loudly. "So I guess our best bet is to take out as many DNAliens in the meantime and maybe figure out why they're shipping this crap to Bellwood."

"In other words, hit 'em till they fess up," Kevin simplified, grinning evilly.

Evan eyed him coolly. "I was wrong before. A straight jacket does look good on you."

"Oh shut up."

* * *

><p><strong>8:20 PM<strong>

**Tennyson residence**

"Bat guano?" Ben repeated over the phone. He should have been having dinner with his parents, but then the phone rang and he immediately abandoned that endeavor.

"Ben," his mother called out in a warning tone.

"Just a minute!" he quickly said before turning back to his cousin.

"Yeah; according to the internet when the bats eat the berries, the resulting waste creates a super rare isotope. It's not very radioactive, but if you have a lot of it the results could be devastating," Gwen quickly explained.

"And they're on it?" Ben referred to the team on the freighter.

"Yeah, but they need backup," Gwen said. "You know what that means."

"Ben!"

"Just a minute!" Ben said again. Into the phone he said, "I'm working on that. I'll try-!"

Whatever he was about to say was cut off when his mother took the phone out of his hands and hung up the line. "No phone means no phone! Go to your room!"

Ben threw up his hands and grumbled, "I can't believe this is happening!"

Once in his room though, his spirits lifted slightly. _**Dude calm down, **_Ventus said. _**Use your computer to contact them. I think there's a wireless network on that freighter.**_

Suddenly the computer started to light up, beeping out a distress signal. "What do you know; they contacted me first," Ben said out loud. He could hear the god in his head chuckling.

The screen immediately switched to Kevin suited in metal armor with three people in the background keeping guard.

"Good news guys, it worked," the older teen told the others.

Evan moved over so that he took over half the screen. "The bad news is that there are too many DNAliens to take all at once. And we can't sink the ship yet because there's too much radiation."

"What do you mean yet?" Ben asked.

"Isaac's trying to get a response team together so that when we do sink the ship, the damage is minimal," Evan quickly explained. "It's gonna be a while though and we don't exactly have a lot of time before we're found again."

"We kind of need you over here dude," Sam said in the background.

"Yeah, like I'm going to get out house arrest anytime soon," Ben deadpanned, the annoyance at his parents showing through.

"Jesus Christ man, just improvise something!" Kevin snapped finally losing his cool. "If you haven't noticed the entire world is at stake! Maybe even the universe! What's more important, saving the world or keeping your parents happy?"

"…Can't I have it both ways?" Ben answered back sheepishly.

"HIGH BREED!" Carter roared as Sam was thrown to the side by a giant black claw. Kevin immediately went up to hurt the giant alien while Evan quickly said:

"We need help, Ben!" He was about to say something else, but the screen suddenly made a '_pop_' noise and grew black, a tiny dot of white in the middle showing the lack of connection. Ben whirled around to see his parents standing behind him, his father holding the plug to his computer.

"Dad, no!"

"Oh don't you 'no' me, Ben Tennyson!" Carl glared at him. "You have defied us for the last time!"

"You've gotta listen," Ben tried one last time to plead. "My friends are in trouble. I gotta go help them!"

"I don't want to hear another word," Sandra said. "You are not leaving this room, you are not calling anyone, you are not IMing anyone, you are not texting anyone, you are not my-Facing anyone!"

"…My-Facing?"

"You will sit here alone until we tell you otherwise," Carl ordered. "_Understood?_"

"You don't understand!" Ben cried. "It's a matter of life or death!" he turned to his mother. "Evan's life is on the line. You treat him like he's your own son!"

"Yes, but he's _not_ my son," Sandra said coldly.

"The only life we're concerned with is yours," Carl said, "and you are staying right here."

_**Ben, you can't reason with them, **_Ventus said before the boy could say anything else. _**If you were in their situation you'd probably react the same way. But right now your friends are in trouble and you have to do what's right.**_

Ventus was right; he usually was, though Ben didn't want to admit it. The smart thing to do would be to listen to his parents. But he could picture it, his friends broken, bloody bodies as the High Breed killed them in cold blood. And if he stayed in his room he'd be powerless to help them.

He always knew he'd have to face the music someday. He just never knew how much it would hurt.

"I'm sorry," Ben finally said. "I love you guys. You're awesome parents. You raised me by example. And time after time I've seen you put other people's needs first. I can't obey you know without disobeying everything you ever taught me about life, the world, and responsibility." He put a hand over the Omnitrix.

Sandra narrowed her eyes. "Ben, we forbid you to-!"

"So when I get back punish me however you want," Ben hurried on. "But right now, I have friends in trouble!" He popped the dial on the Omnitrix to Jetray and slammed it down. A green flash and a transformation later he had turned into him.

"Jetray!" he said quickly, spreading his wings. He launched himself into the air and crashed through the window, littering glass all over the floor. "Sorry, I'll fix that later!" he said before taking off.

A moment's shock and then Sandra said, "He just walked out on us! What are we going to do?"

It took a second for Carl to answer because he finally understood something. He wanted to suppress it, but it was surfacing in his mind after years of hiding. And now he had to face it once and for all.

"We're going to listen to our son."

* * *

><p><strong>9:00 PM <strong>

**On the **_**Eustacia Vye**_

Jetray neared the freighter, rapidly flying downwards as the thermals pushed against him. He was going faster, faster… too fast! And then he changed into Ben. He flipped over so that he would land on his feet, but he was nearing the starboard far too quickly. His weak human body wouldn't survive the fall.

_**Manipulate the air currents and turn in Humungousaur! **_Ventus ordered. _**Hurry!**_

He concentrated a bit, slowing his descent. He could feel it, the air pressure underneath him. He was facing down, the air a cushion as he slowly neared the starboard. It was almost peaceful.

And then the DNAliens took notice of him, pointing and yelling up at him. Ben quickly turned the dial on the Omnitrix to Humungousaur and did a quick flip as he transformed.

He landed heavily on board, the steel floor bending under his weight. The DNAliens swarmed him, readying their attacks. The dinosaur-like alien was having none of that.

"You guys picked the wrong Humungousaur to gang up on," he growled as he swerved his tail around. Enemy aliens flew through the air at a single thwack. But the others still came after him, hissing and spitting. Humungousaur growled and barreled through the enemy line with surprising ease.

Meanwhile, underneath the starboard (where Ben was totally kicking ass), the others hadn't fared so well. Yes, they were all standing and fighting, but they were tired and injured. That and the smell of radioactive bat waste was a rather strong distraction.

Kevin, who had a few bloody tears on his clothes, gave the High Breed in front of him a sneer. "I can't believe you guys eat that stuff!" he jeered, pointing to the green sludge underneath them.

The High Breed put his hands on his waist. "We _do not_ eat it, human."

"Then what do you use it for, anyway?" Sam asked from the ground. The High Breed had done a number on her leg; she was pretty sure it was broken. She probably should have been crying from the pain, but she had received too many similar injuries to care at this point.

"Yeah, I mean, it's just a worthless Earth isotope," Evan said, laying it on rather thick. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Carter slowly making her way over to Sam, hands glowing blue. All of them were in need of medical attention, but Sam most of all.

The High Breed was sufficiently distracted; he went on to say, "Tennyson has taught you well. But your attempt to learn of our plans has only reminded me that I need to dispose of you." Or maybe he wasn't. He brought a hand up to attack…

…Only to get thrown to the ground thanks to a flying DNAlien.

Yeah, that took a moment to sink in.

"Oh, that one was a little high," said the familiar voice of Humungousaur. He walked into the testing room of the ship, standing on a platform, an evil little grin stretched across his face.

"Bad night?" Carter asked out loud when she saw the expression.

"You have no idea," he said, his smile faltering.

"But seriously, I thought you got sent to your room without supper," Kevin said. It sounded like a joke, but his tone was far too serious.

Humungousaur leaned against the railings. "Enjoy me while you can. I'm going to be grounded for the rest of high school. What happened to your leg?" he added referring to Sam.

With Carter's help she stood up. "High Breed broke my leg. I got better."

"Do you know what the DNAliens are doing with the bat poop?" Evan asked the scaly alien.

Humungousaur pointed to the DNAliens working at the vats of green goop on the other side of the room. How they didn't hear the sounds of their leader falling was beyond him. "The DNAliens over there are rendering it, removing the impurities so that they're left with a highly volatile isotope, suitable for use as a power source."

"I'm guessing they couldn't work Beck's carbon power source machine," Carter noted. "How'd you figure all that out anyway?"

"Gwen," Humungousaur said sadly. "Question is; power source for what?"

"It's a surprise," the High Breed on the ground said, "the final surprise for the human race. Destroy them!" it ordered the minions surrounding him. The DNAliens roared as they quickly climbed up the metal ladders to get to the platform. Quite a few of them swarmed the four on the ground floor, but one shadow trip to the upper level saved them from defeat.

Once on the platform, they all calmly looked at the monsters who wanted to kill them. Evan held up a large pink cable with _Tron_-like yellow lines etched on it. "Hey, Kevin, absorb this," he said as the older teen put a hand on it.

Carter and Sam looked at each other before grinning. "We got the High Breed!" they said in unison.

"What?!" went Humungousaur.

"But it broke your leg!" Kevin protested now fully encased in pink armor.

"Kick its ass!" Evan shouted as he punched out the first DNAlien. The two girls jumped off the platform and landed heavily on the ground floor. They immediately started somersaulting, turning faster and faster-Sam became a whirl of fire, Carter a wheel of water-they neared the High Breed-

Down went the High Breed with a resounding crash. It howled in pain as the two elementals laid into him.

"Huh," was all Kevin said as he beat up aliens.

"Girl power for the win, as Isaac would say," Evan said as he lifted up two DNAliens. He turned round and round, faster and faster before letting go. The two monsters went flying in separate directions; Evan easily slowed down and clapped the dirt off his hands.

Humungousaur threw the last of the DNAliens off him and eyed the carnage the three of them left. And then they turned to the fight below them.

Surprisingly enough-or perhaps not surprisingly-they found Carter and Sam _winning_. They were punching, kicking, and using their powers to enhance their strength. And the High Breed was knocked back at every turn. It was falling, not only from the power, but from the fact that it was _losing_.

"Is it bad that I thought they were going to lose?" Humungousaur asked, gesturing slightly to the pain-filled cries of the fallen High Breed.

"No," Kevin said as Evan said, "Yes." The Osmosian and dinosaur alien turned to their friend, whose eyes were glued to the fight below.

And then Evan shouted, "Watch out!" The High Breed had gained the upper hand and knocked the elementals out. The two girls went skidding, falling to the floor once before bouncing back up and travelling backwards again. The High Breed loomed over them threateningly.

"You seem fatigued," it told them. It held up an arm. "Allow me to put you to rest. _Permanently_."

And it would have, save for the miraculous laser shot aimed at it. It hit the High Breed's side, forcing it back into the wall with a resounding crash. Sam and Carter turned in shock to see Carl and Sandra Tennyson, wielding an obsolete Plumber laser cannon.

"Are you okay girls?" Sandra immediately went up to Carter to see her wounds.

"Mom, dad, am I glad to see you!" Humungousaur said from the railing. "I mean, I'm always glad to see you, but…"

"Enough," Kevin said, getting grossed out.

"You're his ruffian friend, right?" Sandra said no malice in her voice.

"Ruffian?" Kevin repeated.

"Shut up, you ruffian," Evan said before turning to the adults below. "Nice piece, by the way."

"Yeah, dad, where'd you get that?" Humungousaur said as he quickly jumped down from the platform. He landed with a loud thud, but Carl answered his son's question all the same.

"This thing has been sitting in the attic since Frank and I were kids. Always hated it."

"Are you okay Ben?" Sandra asked worriedly.

"I'm fine mom," he said. "I'm sorry for blowing you off like that."

"I'm not," Kevin said as he and Evan reappeared on the ground floor (they took the ladder). "I mean, it was actually kind of cool when you showed up when you did."

"It was _very_ cool," Sandra agreed. She smiled at her son. "I'm proud of you. Your friend was in danger and you had to help him."

"His friend?" Carl scoffed. "You heard that monster honey, the whole world was in danger!"

"I told you so," Carter sang under her breath. She expected to get immediate backlash but instead Sandra smiled at her.

"You were right," she admitted. "I'm sorry about before."

Mollified, the Goth muttered a quick apology to Sandra as Sam finally helped her off of the ground.

"Oh, by the way, your grandfather has a message for you," Carl said suddenly. "He says you can sink the ship now."

"You guys know Isaac?" Humungousaur asked confused.

"He gave us a lift out here," Carl explained. He turned back to Carter. "Out of curiosity's sake, how does your grandfather look so young? Is it an alien thing?"

"Carl!" Sandra hissed.

Carter gave a sheepish chuckle. "It's an alien thing."

"And before we wrap this up, I have one question," Evan piped up. "You guys saw Ben in action right? So you know what he's capable of." He answered his own question.

"I think it's safe to say the world's in good hands," Carl agreed.

Evan happily clapped his hands together. "Great! Now how's about we blow this place up?"

* * *

><p><strong>One gigantic explosion later<strong>

"GIANT MUSHROOM! MUSHY GIANT FRIEND!" Evan shouted as the smoke from the explosion turned into a black mushroom shape.

"Are you on something?" Carl asked the teen as he waved his arms to and fro.

"No, he's just weird," Ben quickly explained.

Kevin chose that moment to pop out of the water and climb onto the dock. "Okay, I sunk the ship. Isaac's on clean up duty."

"What about the High Breed?" Carter asked.

"Who cares?" Sam said.

"Seriously, what happened?" Ben insisted. "You were supposed to drag him off the ship before you scuttled it."

Kevin feigned innocence. "Was I? Must've slipped my mind." When he saw Ben's horrified face, he added, "Kidding! He was gone before I got back."

"And you took offense to being called a ruffian," Evan pointed out meanly.

* * *

><p><em>Yes, I had to add that A:tLA reference at the end. No, I'm not apologizing. <em>

_So, thoughts anyone?_


	49. Lucille Comes to Town

Chapter 49: Lucille Comes to Town

_At **Remisolleke**: Thank you so much for the kind review! It really makes me happy to know that someone has been reading my story since day one. I would like to speed things up a bit, but the story has a flow and if I break it I'm afraid the story will suffer. As for Ben and Ventus beating Vilgax...I think it can be arranged. Eventually, that is._

_Now, for the rest of the author's note, Carter and Evan's reaction with the Wii are reactions me and my friends had when we played. We played multiple times with the Wii and this is what happened every single time. This does not mean that everyone reacts the same; I'm just using results from my circle of friends. _

* * *

><p>"I can't do this."<p>

"Yes you can."

"No, I can't."

"Yes, you can."

"No I can't-don't slap me!" Kevin brought his arms over his face when he saw Sam's raised palm. She was glaring at him, eyes lit up dangerously. She slowly lowered her hand, remembering where they were. She breathed through her nose to calm down.

"My hand is down. You can look."

"I don't believe you!"

"Damn it, Kevin!" she hissed, wisps of smoke wafting from her hair. Kevin took a sniff and immediately patted at it, trying to put out the fire. Sam slapped his hands away with a snarl:

"You'll burn your hands!"

"Sorry!"

Sam sighed audibly and face palmed. "I'm sorry too," she said honestly. She went to straightening Kevin's bow tie. He had decided to dress in his best suit, which just so happened to be his Doctor Who suit. It was silly, but Kevin had wanted to make a good impression, which Sam could understand. And it was rare to see him so dressed up, so she was going to enjoy this.

Putting both hands on his shoulders, she said, "You've knocked down DNAliens. You've gone head to head with High Breeds. You laugh in the face of danger. _You will be fine_."

Kevin took a nervous look at the door. They were sitting on hard plastic chairs at the local high school, since it was the nearest place for the officials to set up the testing. Said officials were on the other side of the classroom door, setting the place up for Kevin to take the test. The same Kevin who knew more about alien technology than the average Plumber.

The same Kevin who was practically hyperventilating right now. He nearly had his head in between his knees, it was that bad.

_**Times like this usually mean he needs a shock to snap him out of it, **_Kirche the fire goddess mused in Sam's head. _**Think you can use your electricity powers on him?**_

_I am NOT shocking him, _Sam thought back vehemently.

_**Then how's about you kiss him?**_

…_Won't that freak him out more?_

_**You're his girlfriend. He shouldn't freak out.**_

She had a point though Sam was loath to admit it. She turned to Kevin beside her. "Kevin."

He didn't look up.

"Kevin," she said more insistently.

"Mm?" he mumbled quietly.

"Look at me," she said gently.

He hesitated for a moment before slowly sitting up. She could see the fear etched on his face, the worry causing lines to stretch across his skin. For a second he seemed ten years older. And then Sam saw his eyes, the undiluted fear in them, and she saw a scared little boy groping for something to hold onto.

Grabbing his face with some force, she kissed him, mashing their lips together. It was painful-Sam was pretty sure she accidentally hit his teeth-but then it softened and Kevin's body visibly slackened. She let go, dropping his heads. Kevin just sat there, eyes blinking like a fish.

"…Um," he finally drawled out.

"You'll be fine," Sam insisted. He blinked once more before the ends of his mouth turned up slightly.

The classroom door opened. A serious looking man in a business suit stepped halfway into the hall. "Mr. Levin, we're ready for you."

Kevin's face visibly paled. He stood up quickly, straightening his suit jacket. He took a quick look at Sam and said in a somewhat small voice, "Wish me luck."

"You're Kevin Levin," Sam stated. "You don't need luck."

Kevin stopped for a moment before his face stretched out into a grin. "I'll be fine," he said more confidently. With that he walked into the room. The door closed behind him with a slight thud.

* * *

><p>"That star's mine," Evan said snootily.<p>

"No it isn't," Carter growled.

"Yes it is!"

"No it isn't!"

"_Yes it is!_"

"BITCH, I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU TAKE THAT STAR-_I HATE YOU_!" Carter threw a punch at Evan, who barely dodged in time.

"WELL MAYBE IF YOU DIDN'T SUCK AT VIDEOGAMES-_OW_!" A Wii controller hit Evan square in the eye. It clattered to the floor and Evan held his aching eye. He was pretty sure the skin around it was bruising.

Carter quickly paused the Mario game and said, "And this is why we don't use the Wii when it's just the two of us."

"Because you have a tantrum every time we play?" Evan narrowed his good eye at her.

"No, because every time you start trolling me and then you get mad whenever I call you out on it," Carter snapped, fists on her hips.

Evan gave a loud snort. "No I don't."

"Yes you do."

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do! You're trying to do it now!"

Both friends glared at each other before they suddenly burst out laughing. It was loud and obnoxious, but then again they were alone in Carter's room. No one could hear them so they could be as annoying as they wanted.

As Carter fixed up Evan's blooming black eye, the boy mused, "The Wii is tearing us apart."

Carter fixed him a look. "I don't think so."

He held up his hands to placate her. "Hear me out. No matter what setting we're in, no matter what game we're playing, we only get this angry while playing with the Wii. No other videogame system gets us so riled up. So that must mean the Wii games are evil."

His eye fully healed, Carter let her hand droop. "But that's only when we're alone. If we're with friends and playing videogames, we're fine."

"That's because it's usually Sam and Newt we're hanging out with," Evan pointed out. "We have to keep up the act of being the sane, calm ones in the group."

"Newt's sane, and Sam's a lot calmer now."

"And while that is very true, it's not how we're portrayed," Evan said sagely. "The point is the Wii is evil and must be destroyed. Preferably through Satanic ritual."

Carter blinked. "So you want to give it to Sam's grandmother."

"I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

She slowly shook her head. "You're insane."

"No, I'm smart," Evan said, taking out his phone. "If it goes hand in hand with insanity, so be it." He quickly tapped the code to unlock his phone and then said, "Huh. Speak of the devil."

Carter raised an eyebrow. "Lucille called you?"

"Yeah, she did." Evan quickly listened to the voicemail. Carter could vaguely hear the tinny words speaking through the phone. She could pick out a few cheerful words from the message, but the overall message was lost.

Less than thirty seconds later, Evan shut off the voicemail. His face was grave. "Lucille's visiting."

Carter visibly paled. "Sam's not going to like this at all."

Evan furrowed his brow. "Where _is_ Sam, anyway?"

* * *

><p>Kevin didn't say a word once he left the room. He just walked out of the room and gestured for Sam to follow him. She almost missed the cue-watching abridged anime videos on her phone had been pretty engrossing. She then worriedly followed him to the car, him walking at a brisk pace with her quickly catching up.<p>

He only opened up once they were safely in the car. He slammed his forehead on the steering wheel and muttered, "I failed it."

Sam rolled her eyes. "No you didn't."

"Yes I did."

"Are we really starting this up again?" Sam said exasperatedly.

Kevin quickly lifted his head. "I did fine on the math and science part. It was the English and history parts I bombed. Nothing I studied for was on that test!"

"Welcome to high school exam periods," Sam quipped dryly. Kevin didn't even crack a smile. She quickly said, "It doesn't matter. Depending on how you did you can take classes at the community college to get your scores up. Or I could bribe some people to make you pass." She furrowed her brow. "I'm sure my parents won't mind."

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "They wouldn't?"

"Well, they wouldn't know."

He gave a short bark of laughter. "You'd do that for me. Risk getting caught for bribery, I mean."

Sam raised a hand. "Believe me I've been caught for worse."

Kevin snorted and gave her a look. "Yeah right. Name one thing."

"I'm not allowed to hold a baseball bat near Evan until I'm eighteen."

"What did you do?"

"I may or may not have accidentally used his room for a batting cage after he melted the faces off all of my dolls."

Kevin stared at her for a moment before bursting out laughing. He banged his open palm on the dashboard and threw back his head, nearly howling. When his laughter died down into painful gasps, he finally stuttered out, "You're incredible."

"I'm also a criminal mastermind," Sam joked. "But seriously, I'm sure you passed the test with flying colors. We'll get the results in a few weeks. Just wait until then."

His lips quirked into a smile. "Okay. And…thank you."

Sam glowed (not literally) and was about to say something back when her phone beeped. Fishing for it, she noticed that it was a text message. She quickly opened it up and read it. Her face fell, her eyes widened, and it was as though her throat was closing in on her. She read the message again just to be sure.

"Sam?" Kevin asked worriedly. "You okay?"

She burst out crying. Her shoulders hunched as her body undulated from the heavy sobs. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks and she buried her face into her hands.

Her phone clattered to the floor. Kevin quickly reached for it and read the text from Carter: _Lucille's visiting._ As he quickly gathered the crying girl in his arms, Kevin quickly texted back: _This is Kevin. Who's Lucille?_

Carter texted back almost instantly: _The she devil herself._

* * *

><p>Ben was sitting at his computer doing his homework. Gwen was sifting through his closet. Carter was sitting on his bed. And Evan was on the floor, reading one of Ben's comic books. It was a pretty normal afternoon, to be honest. If only Ben didn't have to ruin it.<p>

"Tell me about that message Gwen," he said. "I got homework."

"We'll wait until Sam and Kevin come," she answered back, going through a box in her cousin's closet. "Then I won't have to tell it twice."

"Was it an email? Just let me read it."

"Like it'd be that easy," Carter scoffed.

"It was a telepathic SOS sent through my energy field," Gwen answered.

Evan sat up. "You so called it," he told his Goth friend.

"You kept your old teddy bear?" Gwen held out the remains of a threadbare stuffed animal. Ben let out a small yelp and dashed to the bear, grabbing it out of her hands and throwing it back into the recesses of the closet.

"Dude, it's fine," Carter said dismissively to Ben's red face. "Evan still has his old teddy bear hiding under his pillow."

Evan glared at her. "I do not."

"Then explain to me why you recently had it sewn up in a little ninja outfit."

"Because ninjas are cool!" Evan threw down the comic book for emphasis.

"Cute," Gwen noted as she held up an old wooden recorder. "You kept this too?" she asked her cousin.

Ben furrowed his brow. "I guess so. I never did figure out why we had to learn to play that thing."

"I think it had something to do with memory," Carter thought out loud. "Though in retrospect it was pretty useless."

Evan took the recorder into his own hands. "Not really. I figured out how to summon Satan using Hot Cross Buns. I think I can still do it." He took a deep breath and was about to play the first note when Ben smacked the instrument out of his hands.

"No summoning the lord of darkness in my house!" he decreed. Evan pouted a little.

"Oh, look!" Gwen quickly held up a little house with Sumo Slammer action figures in it. "A dollhouse."

Instantly forgetting their earlier predicament the two boys swarmed her. "That's not a dollhouse!" Evan cried out, grabbing it from Gwen and cradling it.

"It's a Sumo Slammers' battle ring!" Ben explained further.

"And they're not dolls, they're action figures!" Carter yelled as she began reading the comic book Evan dropped.

"Aren't you a fan of this?" Gwen asked pointing to the battle ring Evan had so rudely ripped out of her hands.

Carter shrugged. "I'm more into the videogames."

Gwen eyed the dollhouse distastefully. "Still think it's a dollhouse-Ah!" She grabbed her head and staggered back slightly.

"You okay?" Carter asked, abandoning the comic book.

"Something's coming in," Gwen said ominously her eyes glowing bright pink. Suddenly a giant pink oval appeared in the middle of Ben's room. White energy fizzled around it and something black and blue appeared on the pink screen. It was a Kinecelaran in an olive green vest.

"Can you hear me, Gwen?" she pleaded over the airwaves, her voice wavering due to the bad transmission. "Did you find Ben and Evan? We need help!"

"Helen?" Evan said.

Kevin in his usual attire chose that moment to walk into the room. "A hologram?" he asked closing the door. "It's never like I come over and you're just playing videogames or something."

"Guys, I can't hear you!" Helen said quickly on the transmitter.

"Helen, we're right here," Ben said, walking up to the screen.

"If you're getting this message, please, help us. It's important," Helen pleaded.

Gwen closed her eyes and shook her head with pain. "Can't keep the connection."

"There's terrible danger! We need help desperately! Please!" The connection fizzled shut; the energy transmitter disappeared with a crackling sound. Helen was gone.

Gwen stumbled only to be caught by the arm by Evan. "You okay?"

After a moment of light headedness she said, "I'm fine. I'm doing better than those Plumber kids anyway."

"What did they expect going into the Null Void?" Kevin pointed out. "Not like we didn't warn 'em."

"We have to go get them out!" Gwen snapped.

"The Null Void's too dangerous for you," Carter pointed out. "It's too dangerous for all of us."

"She's right," Ben said in a serious tone.

"I know that look," Evan said. "You're planning on going into the Null Void alone aren't you?"

"I'm that obvious?"

Carter rolled her eyes. "You'll be dead within minutes."

"Ten bucks says I'm not!" Ben countered childishly.

"You're on!" Carter held out her hand. Gwen face palmed as the two of them shook.

* * *

><p>They found Sam in the abandoned warehouse.<p>

Kevin had left Sam at her house-she was too hysterical to take any place else-and then went to his own home to change. And then he went to Ben's place, since Gwen had asked him to and all. He had every intention of leaving Sam out of the mission; she hadn't explained what was going on with this Lucille person, but instead set her forehead against the car window with her eyes wide open in a near catatonic state. Her little brother looked equally as shocked when Kevin dropped her off, so whatever it was had to be major. And if she was going to be in that state, well, maybe she should sit this one mission out.

He hadn't expected her to be at the warehouse the obsolete Null Void projector was in.

She was huddled in the corner so he almost missed her. It wasn't until Evan had exclaimed, "Sam? What are you doing here?" did he turn in that general direction. But there she was, sitting against the wall with a Styrofoam cup of coffee in her hands. She was as pale as a ghost, though she didn't look as catatonic as before.

Kevin quickly made her way over to her and helped her up. "Should you really be here?" he asked quietly the anxiety showing through. "You could barely talk earlier."

"I…I needed to get out of the house and this is the perfect excuse," Sam said quietly, gripping the Styrofoam cup with both hands. "Hopefully she won't find me here."

"You mean Lucille?" Kevin asked. Sam visibly started, her shoulders shaking. "What the hell is going on?"

She shook her head. "I'll explain once we send Ben off." Kevin gave her a look as she walked towards the others. The others were giving her odd looks too but then Kevin started to take over the operation and it was back to business.

"The Null Void projector's not working!" Evan called out about twenty minutes in.

Kevin swore loudly and said, "It has to work!"

"Don't worry; I traced Helen's energy pattern," Gwen said reassuringly. "I can rip open a pathway into the Null Void if we need to."

Once Ben was strapped into his safety harness, he said, "The last time I was in the Null Void I didn't need all this junk."

"Last time you had a motor home full of cool state of the art Plumber gear," Kevin said as he fiddled with the projector.

"Which you sold!"

"The point is it's gonna be tricky to get you out," Gwen quickly said. "Even if I temporarily rip a doorway into the Null Void, this cable is the only thing connecting you to our world." She held out the long cable that would connect to Ben's harness.

Kevin gestured to the silver wire winded over the industrial-sized spool. "It's not a cable. The Plumber snake is an unbreakable pan-dimensional retrieval system worth _mucho dinero_ which you are very lucky I have."

"Admit it, you'd miss him," Sam teased lightly from the sidelines. Ben grinned at him.

"I got better ways to spend my time than going to your funeral," Kevin snapped.

"And admit it, you won't last five minutes in there," Carter jeered from the sidelines. Ben stuck his tongue out at her.

Six pink mana discs appeared on the wall. They created a circle and began to spin, faster and faster until that part of the wall melted away and showed the red ambience of the Null Void.

"I retraced the energy path of Helen's message," Gwen said, her eyes glowing. "Hopefully it'll lead you to her location but I don't know how long I can keep this open."

Blue flames erupted from Ben's harness-it was really a jetpack. (Go figure.) He immediately flew into the portal, disappearing at the speed of light. The Plumber snake pulled along with it, the spool whirling at incredible speeds.

Sam looked at Carter out of the corner of her eye. "He'll be fine."

Carter gave her a look. "No shit Sherlock."

"Something's up," Evan said looking at the spool. The Plumber snake was shortening far too quickly; the spool was spewing small sparks all over the place.

"Don't tell me he's already in danger," Carter groaned, face palming.

"He's Ben Tennyson. He's a danger magnet," Sam said dryly as the cable finally tightened and the spool slowed.

Kevin took that moment to ask, "So who's Lucille?"

Sam started once again while Carter's visible eye twitched. Only Evan was brave enough to say, "Sam's grandma."

Kevin blinked and stared at Sam incredulously. "You start freaking out because your grandma's coming to town?"

"What, does she pinch your cheeks and make you wear hand knitted sweaters?" Gwen joked.

"If only," Sam muttered.

"Lucille's kind of moody," Evan began.

"By that he means emotionally unstable," Carter interjected. "And we're talking the kind of unstable where you need serious medication for."

"She also owns the DuBaer family business," Evan said wisely ignoring Carter.

"So she's the CEO of a weapons' industry?" Gwen mused. "Don't you need to be emotionally sound to run one of those?"

"Not if you're Lucille," Sam muttered darkly.

"Kevin, you ever hear the name Lucifer?" Carter asked suddenly. "You know; the one name people in the criminal underworld dare not utter even under pain of death?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to…do…with…" Kevin slowly trailed off as the realization dawned on him. He stared at Sam who had crushed her empty cup in her hands. She was shaking again, this time much more visibly.

"What are you guys going on about?" Gwen demanded to know.

"The DuBaer family technically owns the underworld," Evan pointed out. "And the head of the DuBaer family is…?" He gestured to her, waiting for her to connect the dots.

She did, and quickly. "Lucille is Lucifer?"

"That's right," a chipper voice sang out in the warehouse. A young woman had mysteriously appeared in the room, a lovely curvaceous brunette with hair cut up in a sharp bob. Her face was soft and heart-shaped and her blue eyes oddly harsh. Her makeup was minimal and she was wearing conservative business attire: a halfway open red jacket with a black dress shirt and a knee-length red skirt with matching pumps. She was smiling widely at the teenagers in the room.

"Sammy!" she cried instantly hugging her granddaughter. Sam made a choking sound and stood there frozen as Lucille squeezed her in a giant bear hug. She soon let go and went around the room.

"Carter, it's so good to see you!" she trilled hugging the Goth quickly before moving to Evan. "My Lord, you've gotten to be so handsome," she said before hugging him too.

"Nice to see you too Lulu," Evan said as cheerfully as he could. "And you're rocking the brunette look. I like it."

Lucille gave a girlish giggle and said, "I didn't want to perpetuate the evil redhead idea. We already have such a bad rap and I hate for Sammy to get stuck with that label." She shot a bright smile at her. Sam gave a strangled smile back.

Lucille turned to Gwen and Kevin, who had felt rather put out by the large amount of affection. "You must be Gwen," she said warmly. "You're much prettier in person. And you're obviously Kevin." She studied him a bit before saying, "Roguish charm."

Kevin grinned. "Thanks for noticing!" She didn't seem so bad, he thought. She was overly energetic to be sure-like a high school cheerleader stuck in a twenty-something body- but nothing about her really screamed evil. But he could still remember Sam's reaction earlier, the tears that slid down her face. He had to keep an eye out.

"You own the criminal underworld?" Gwen asked point-blank. She never was one to beat around the bush.

Lucille laughed, waving a hand dismissively. "Oh Gwen, you're so silly! You can't own the underworld, it's too extensive. You just have to leave examples everywhere to show you're in charge." Instantly her pretty face morphed into an ugly mask: her eyes turned into slits, her nostrils flared, and her lips curled into a snarl.

"And of course I have to be the one to do all the dirty work, not my damn lackeys, the filthy cowards. They can't be bothered to do it, says it's too inhuman, stupid pricks-!"

And then her face changed again into the happy smiling one shown not a minute before. "But enough of that ugly talk, I want to know what you're all doing here." She gave Sam a disapproving look. "You gave me some trouble, making me find you here with your friends. Speaking of friends, isn't there supposed to be an Evan doppelganger? I bet he isn't as attractive as you!" she told Evan, lightly punching his shoulder.

At this point Gwen and Kevin were officially unnerved. They were starting to understand the emotionally unstable bit Carter had mentioned earlier. Lucille was desperately in need of medication; the changing of emotions was too frequent to be healthy. And what did she mean by examples?

Kevin took a look at Sam and his jaw dropped slightly. On her face was a look of absolute terror. Not the cool indifference or the snarky emotions that often flitted across. He could see fear in her eyes, a feeling not even she could hide.

Just what kind of monster did she have to deal with?

Suddenly the spool of the Plumber snake stopped-they had ignored the whirling sounds earlier. And then the cable slackened, falling to the floor with a thump.

"What happened?" Lucille asked curiously.

"Reel him in!" Carter ordered. Kevin immediately pulled the switch of the pulley system and the spool rolled in the other direction, reeling in the cable at lightning fast speeds. And then the end of the cable appeared, only without Ben. It didn't even have the harness; all that was left was a smoking pile of wires, blackened to a crisp.

"I'm guessing that's bad," Lucille pointed out.

"Oh, no, it's just that Ben stuck in the Null Void without a safety harness, probably getting eaten by monsters." Carter let out a shaky, hysterical laugh. "He'll probably be fine."

Lucille went up to the portal. "What are you doing?" Gwen asked alarmed.

"Going in after him," she said, about to put a foot in.

"Nan," Sam spoke up for the first time since Lucille got there. Her voice was shaking slightly but she put up a brave front. "It's too dangerous, even for you."

Lucille studied her for a moment before putting her foot down. "You have a point there Sammy. But there's just one problem."

Evan suddenly appeared in front of Sam. For the first time he was showing signs of fear: dilated eyes, sweat on his face, tense shoulders. He always faked it in regards to Lucille, because what better way of ignoring your fears than to put up a cheerful front? He could always pretend to like Lucille because she was normally so happy. But now she was about to lapse into lunacy.

Too fast. He could feel the sharp nails dig into his stomach, breaking the skin and digging their way into his innards. He wanted to cry out in pain as the hand dug in deeper, hitting his spine. He was coughing up blood he could feel the rivulets going down his body, oh god why wasn't anyone doing anything-

"_You don't show fear Sammy," _Lucille hissed past Evan's ear. Sam let out a howl of grief as Evan's sight began to grow black-

"Evan, what's wrong?" He looked up to see Lucille near Kevin and Gwen, a look of concern on her face. He looked down to see his wound-less stomach. There was no pain or blood. He stumbled back from shock, his body being enveloped by something warm. Sam was rasping something out. He could tell she was trying not to cry.

"What happened?" Kevin demanded to know. He was instantly by Sam's side, prying Evan out of her grasp and holding her gingerly. Carter was holding Evan's face in her hands, scrutinizing him severely, looking for any signs of a wound.

Lucille pursed her lips slightly before saying, "Well something's obviously up so I won't bother you anymore. It was so nice meeting you all! Ta!" And then she was gone, disappearing into thin air.

Gwen blinked that image away before turning back to the scene in front of her. "Okay, seriously. What just happened?"

"Nan's a master at illusions," Sam rasped. "She doesn't need to leave examples but she does, she always does…" she trailed off and closed her eyes, suddenly looking like she had aged a hundred years.

"What did she do to you?" Kevin asked Evan who had passed Carter's inspection.

He said in a tiny voice, "It's so easy to pretend like she's not insane when she's cheerful. But then you see her stick a knife in you, feel the pain and see the blood. And then you find out that it was all pretend." He let out a bark of hysterical laughter.

"And you know the worst part?" Carter asked gravely. "She's Immortal, just like Cordelia and Isaac."

"But they're nothing like Lucille," Gwen pointed out. Carter gave her a look of such despair that she back up slowly.

"How do you know they're not pretending?"

* * *

><p><em>I have been waiting far too long to use that recorder joke.<em>

_So, thoughts anyone?_


	50. Under-Confidence, Meet Overconfidence

Chapter 50: Under-Confidence, Meet Overconfidence

_Guys! Hey guys! Do you know what chapter this is? It's the 50th! **Ben 10: The Slayer Chronicles** is officially fifty chapters long! *throws confetti in the air*_

_Thank you so much for sticking with me all this time. I'll do my best to make this story as amazing as you expect it to be. You guys deserve it._

_Also, at **Calvin: **last chapter was supposed to be disorganized. It was supposed to be a mess of things happening on the same day. As for the names, those only apply to Lucille. She's got a lot of nicknames: the underworld calls her Lucifer, Evan calls her Lulu, Sam and Charlie call her Nan...these things just kind of popped up. Also, thank you so much for the kind words. I really appreciate all the reviews you've written for this story even though I don't always answer back. It really makes me happy that you continued to read my story ever since the beginning even though I don't always show it._

_Anyway, on with the show!_

* * *

><p>Lucille was sitting on the couch in the DuBaer den. She had thrown her jacket against the armchair and tucked her feet underneath her as she cradled a hot cup of tea. She stared serenely into the dark depths, her fingernails slowly tapping out a rhythm.<p>

And then her hands began to shake, slowly at first, then faster. She quickly set down the mug and held herself as her entire body shook violently. Curls of smoke left her head as her hair color slowly peeled away, turning into the familiar red and orange with some yellow speckled about. She curled into a ball, tears brimming in her eyes as her body betrayed her.

And just as suddenly as it began, the shakes stopped. Lucille waited a full minute to be sure, and then she slowly grabbed her bag. She quickly took out her blue compact and looked at her reflection in the mirror. The sparse makeup around her eyes was smudged, but nothing she couldn't fix. What was worse was the fear etched into her face, the haunted look that never left. She glumly took some of her short red hair into her fingers, examining it before letting go.

"It never ceases, does it?" the familiar scratchy voice of Phineas said. The man himself walked into the room, dressed in his usual slacks and blue button-up shirt. A lit cigarette dangled from his lips.

"Does it ever hurt?" he asked the cancer stick still in his mouth. "Do the lapses in stability ever hurt you physically, or does it emotionally drain you, like how you drain the sanity from those poor kids?"

Lucille said nothing. She quickly picked up her mug and drank, her eyes glaring at the man before her.

Phineas quickly brought up his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I'm not the enemy here. You came here out of the blue, set up an appointment with Cordelia and Isaac, and then fly off to catch up with your granddaughter, which somehow escalated into you terrorizing her and her friends. That's the truth no matter how you spin it. Taking your anger out on me won't make you look any better."

"I never asked for this," Lucille suddenly said, the bitterness showing through. Her teeth clenched and she nearly broke the ceramic cup in her hands. "I never asked for this…this psychosis. I never wanted to give my children such a terrible legacy to follow. I only wanted…I just want…" Hot tears cascaded down her face; she rued the day the Great Leviathan destroyed her home realm, rued how Kirche selfishly destroyed her life, rued how she could never stop the urges-she still had her conscience, but the need for pain and terror was so great that she had to act out on them. And all the while her soul screamed for her to stop, but she never did, she _couldn't-_

Phineas took a long drag of his cigarette. As the smoke left his lips he said, "You know we've all been branded, the people of the god gene. Isaac can't handle his thirst for knowledge. Cordelia has her nature versus nurture dilemma. I have to leave home for periods at a time or I fly off the handle. Raph has to be in every goddamn war till the end of time, because he has to be the leader for the right cause. And you have to act out your bloodlust to teach people that giving into such urges will destroy them."

He looked at her huddled form. "We've all got our problems. Hell, look at Isaac. Look where his curiosity got him."

"Isaac has the power to save the world," Lucille snapped.

"Yeah, but look at all the sacrifices he had to make," he pointed out.

She scoffed. "And thanks to that we have a plan to defeat the Unbeatable Beast if he ever rears his ugly head near us again. The sacrifices were well worth it."

"So you shouldn't have a problem with sacrificing your grandkids to teach them a valuable lesson," Phineas told her.

"That's different!" Lucille cried out. The makeup running down her face was starting to dry, turning her pretty face into an ugly mask. "_They're my children_. I can't destroy them to prove a point."

"You don't have a choice," Phineas stated. Lucille's face crumpled. She seemed to physically deflate, her flaming hair losing its luster. Her copper brown eyes stared ahead of her, dead to the world.

The burnt end of the cigarette was beginning to loosen. He quickly went up to the coffee table and tapped the ash into the tray. Lucille gave no sign that she knew he was up close. He needed to drag her out of this depression.

"Hey, what happened to you when we were separated?" he asked quietly. "After we received the god gene, we were forced to split up. Isaac and Cordelia found each other relatively quickly, then Raphael, then me. But we couldn't find you for really long time. What happened to you?"

Nothing. Lucille might as well have been a living corpse.

Phineas took another drag to get some time to think. As he exhaled he said, "Raph wouldn't want you to worry."

Lucille stirred slightly.

"You know he's always worried about you," he went on. "The medicine Isaac gives you to stop the shaking always wears off eventually. Raph says that no medicine can cure a sick Immortal, so he's always worried when it's about you."

Lucille blinked and slowly turned to face him.

"You were always good at putting up a brave front," Phineas said. "You never wanted to worry him, so you always faked the pain away." He quickly snuffed out his cigarette into the ashtray. He held out his arm. "He may not be here now, but you can still pretend he is. Now how about we get that medicine?"

Slowly Lucille lifted her head and said, "Can I wash up first?"

Phineas smirked. "Go right ahead. I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

><p><strong>At the same time...<strong>

"Gwen! Check out what I found!" They could hear Ben's voice through the hole Gwen created. She was keeping it open through sheer force, her elbows rammed into the sides to make sure it didn't close in on her.

"Hi, pumpkin!" It couldn't be. _Max Tennyson_? He was still alive? Did the makeshift bomb he made accidentally send him into the Null Void? Whatever; they had more important things to worry about.

Gwen didn't even have time to celebrate her grandfather's rise from the grave. The hole was closing in on her, nearly cutting her off from her cousin. "I can barely keep this doorway open, you've got to hurry!"

"You heard her grandpa; get the Helpers, it's time to go!"

"I can't do that Ben." The others exchanged questioning looks before Evan stepped up to the plate. He quickly took the small blue disk out of his pocket and poked his arm through the doorway. He tossed it away and heard a grunt. It seemed like Max got it.

"That's a teleporter. It's easy to figure out. You can use it to get out of the Null Void," Evan quickly explained before retreating. Ben was saying something-they couldn't make the words out. And then Gwen was leaning into the portal, grabbing onto something, no, she was pulling Ben back into their dimension. But she couldn't and keep the portal open at the same time. Kevin could see that and quickly bullied his way through the doorway. He quickly grabbed Ben's arm and said:

"It's time to come home Ben."

And the two of them pulled him back into their dimension. He fell headfirst, falling flat on his face as the doorway behind him closed. He groaned and slowly got himself off the ground.

"DOG PILE!" Evan shouted and the Pride was instantly on him. Ben cried out in pain as three bodies pressed him to the ground. They were cheering, whooping war cries before they finally let Ben stand up.

"Nice homecoming," Ben said in an almost sardonic tone. He then turned to Carter and said; "I so won."

She blinked. She had forgotten about the earlier wager. She blamed Lucille. With a groan she got her wallet out of her combat boot and gave him the ten dollars. As she put the rest of her money away Kevin asked, "You keep your wallet in your shoe?"

"Among other things," Carter said. She then turned to Ben and said, "So, tell me: what kind of trouble did you stir up in the Void?"

And so Ben launched into an epic retelling of what happened: how he fought the Null Guardians, found out how Dr. Animo-or DeVoid- had taken over the pocket dimension, how he fought Pierce and met up with the Wrench (in reality his grandfather) and how the two of them as well as the Wrench's Helpers took out Animo.

"…and then I left Grandpa Max and now I'm here," Ben finished. He was met with awed silence before Kevin clapped him on the back.

"All right," he commended. "You saved the day, got reunited with your gramps…"

"Got ten bucks," Ben added smugly. Carter stuck her tongue out at him. Gwen just rolled her eyes.

"In other words, all in a day's work," Evan said, finishing up the conversation.

"So anything interesting happen here?" Ben asked guilelessly. Instantly the good mood dampened. Whatever happiness was brought in leaked out, leaving nothing but cold air.

"You could say that," Sam muttered darkly.

"We met her grandmother," Carter elaborated. "And let's just say she's emotionally unstable and in dire need of medication."

"And we found out that her grandparents are probably the same way," Gwen pointed out. Carter averted her eyes shamefully.

Ben arched an eyebrow. "And this came as a surprise?"

"Lucille's the definition of insane, Ben," Evan said. "Of course it did."

"The three of them are five thousand years old, right?" Ben asked. The Pride nodded. "So if you consider everything they've seen in the past five millennia, don't you think it's natural they have a few screws loose?"

Everyone pondered that for a moment and realized, in shocked awe, that he was right. "That…is a really good point," Kevin admitted. "But you didn't meet Lucille. And when we say she's crazy, she's _crazy_."

Ben held up his hands in surrender. "I completely agree with you. If you say she is, then she is. But she's not here right now so let's not worry about it."

"I have to," Sam groaned. "She's visiting."

"Wanna stay over at my place?" Carter asked. "Charlie's probably already over at Beck's."

Sam rolled her eyes. "I doubt it. My parents are so anal about proper manners that we'll both have to stay. On the plus side Lucille rarely does her illusion magic when my parents are home. We'll be safe for the time being."

"Wait, your parents are home?" Kevin suddenly said.

"Yeah, why-oh. Yeah, you can't come to my house," Sam added as an afterthought.

"Why? Is her dad overprotective?" Gwen asked Kevin.

Barely holding back a laugh, Evan said, "He's trigger happy. Especially when his daughter has a boyfriend."

Ben started to howl with laughter. Evan let out a peal himself. Gwen patted Kevin on the back pityingly. Carter rolled her eyes as Sam face palmed.

* * *

><p><strong>At the same time...<strong>

"Are you done?" Isaac asked as Newt coughed up blood.

The void was empty: no floor, no ceiling, no furniture, no people save for the two inside the bleak nothingness. There was very little light, only enough for the two to see each other. The man could hear as well in the void. He was currently listening to the sounds of his grandson heaving his own blood all over the would-be floor.

The boy's shirt was soaked in it. He had no cuts or bruises or any other physical wounds. It was all on the inside. His internal organs were rebelling against him, his treacherous heart beating the blood he was coughing up.

"Are you done?" Isaac asked again, his cane propped from under his arm. He was leaning against it, one hand on his waist, the other against his cheek. His stance screamed with boredom, but there was an odd glint in his eye. It almost seemed like pride.

Newt spat out the last of the blood and looked up. The feminine bang covering half of his face was speckled with red. Tears were running down his face, but they weren't normal tears. They were bloody, leaving dark rivers down his pretty face.

"I'm not done," he said in a husky voice. Even his vocal cords were betraying him.

Isaac sighed. "Of course you'd say that. But I have to commend you on your tenacity," he added. "Most people much older than you wouldn't even consider this type of training. And here you are sticking to it. It's damn impressive."

"I'm not most people."

"No. You're a Valentine," Isaac said proudly. He stood up straight, twirling the cane like a pro. It elongated and became heaver until the thin dark cane became a wizard's staff taller than him. Runes were carved into it, from the top down to the very bottom. It was ancient looking and contrasted heavily to the ageless man in the business suit.

"You're amazing, Newton. You're more of a man than anyone I've ever seen. But you just had one thing wrong." Isaac's staff glowed pure white energy. It was spreading out, its tendrils reaching the far corners of the void. It was a beautiful, warm light, but it was bright, too bright. Newt closed his eyes…

"You were never useless. Don't you dare consider yourself that."

Newt opened his eyes and found himself on the floor of the pod room. Isaac's wizard staff was back in its ornate cane form, which he held in his hands behind his back. "I need to go Newt. I have an appointment with the devil." He quickly pressed a button on a pod and the glass screen slowly lifted up. "Now let's get you strapped in."

With a flick of his wrist Newt was hovering in midair, the blood droplets that were falling off him suspended in the space between the boy and the clean floor. Isaac waved a hand over Newt's face; gold dust seemed to fall into his eyes. He blinked, trying to get the annoying particles out of his eyes. But he was suddenly so tired, so very tired…He couldn't open his eyes, his body felt heavy and sluggish and he…just wanted…to …sleep…

* * *

><p><strong>The next day<strong>

"Why is Sam coming to my house?" Ben asked Carter over the phone.

"Because her grandmother is taking a tour of her dad's software company and she doesn't want to be home when they get back."

"So why doesn't she stay over at your place?"

"That's the first place they'll look."

"Okay, then how about Evan's?"

"That's the second place."

"And I guess Kevin's house is out of the question," Ben stated flatly.

Carter snorted. "That's an understatement. We don't want our chauffeur riddled with bullet holes."

"Just how trigger happy is this guy?" Ben asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"You know how Evan's so brutal on the other team in CoD?"

"Yes…"

"Mr. DuBaer is ten times worse."

Ben gave a low whistle. "Kevin's got his work cut out for him."

"True. So Sam's staying over at your place for the time being," Carter stated.

"Why isn't she staying over at-?" Ben would have continued, but the doorbell rang just then and Carter chose that moment to hang up the phone. He groaned and went to the door, where Sam was standing with two plastic bags in one hand.

"There's something you need to see," she said, holding up the bags. "But first: ice cream."

"You brought ice cream?" Ben asked as Sam walked through the doorway.

"It's a peace offering," she explained. "Carter probably told you to take me in and I didn't want any bad feelings between us."

Ben closed the front door. "I don't have a problem with you coming over for a few hours. What I want to know is why not stay as Gwen's house."

"Well, I did ask her, but she said she wasn't going to be home for most of the day," Sam explained as she walked into the kitchen. Ben quickly followed after her. "That and her parents ask too many questions."

"Do I want to know how you know that?" Ben questioned in a serious tone.

Sam looked at him, amused. "Gwen told me. Apparently her parents are still skeptical about the whole alien thing."

"I thought they were over that." Gwen had told him that while they were angry at her for endangering her life and lying to them for so long, they eventually understood that what she did was important. They weren't okay with it, but they wouldn't give their only daughter any grief.

"Oh, they're completely over her using her powers to beat up DNAliens," Sam said dismissively. "They just don't like her hanging out with aliens."

Ah. That made sense. "So you're over here. What did you want to show me?"

Sam got out a box set of some anime. She handed it to Ben, who took a look at the title: _Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. _He arched an eyebrow at Sam, who was now putting a carton of vanilla ice cream on the table, along with a bottle of hot sauce.

Ben blinked. "Hot sauce? With ice cream?"

"Hot sauce with ice cream."

"…_Why_?"

"It tastes good. Now get out the bowls while I pop the DVD in." Without breaking her stride, Sam grabbed the box set and walked out of the kitchen. Ben stared after her and shook his head. With a slight grumble he did as she told, getting spoons and bowls and putting ice cream in them. He hesitated over the hot sauce though. He didn't want to put it on-it seemed like a pretty nasty topping-but Sam had brought it. Ben shrugged; it was her choice to put it on her dessert. Didn't mean he had to try it.

When he walked into the living room, he saw the TV on and the blue screen on it, the DVD logo bouncing around. Sam was sitting on the opposite end of the couch, remote in hand. Ben walked over and handed her a bowl of vanilla goodness and got the bottle from under his arm. She immediately popped the lid and started spraying spicy red liquid on her ice cream.

As Ben watched in mild disgust, she asked, "Hey, are your parents' home?"

He slowly said, "No."

"Okay then." She pressed the play button on the remote and the screen went dark. Ben looked at her, shrugged, and then sat down on the other end of the couch. A companionable silence stretched between them.

"By the way, this first scene has nothing to do with the actual series," Sam piped up suddenly.

"Then why did they add it?" Ben asked curiously.

"According to the rumors, the first scene is what was supposed to happen in the series before the executives started meddling," Sam quickly explained. "It's got nothing to do with it now, but it does set the tone of the entire series."

Ben was about to question that as well when on the TV screen, stars began to explode.

The screen showed space in brilliant deep purple and blue colors. Stars were sprinkled across, glittering in the deep void. And then, one by one, they began to explode. Orange fire streaked across the galaxy in a never ending flash.

The scene suddenly shifted, showing a black flag with a red skull with cool-looking shades over the eye sockets. Was it a pirate ship in space? It was highly improbable, but then it again, it seemed like a sci-fi fantasy kind of series, this _Gurren Lagann_.

"Screening shield, class eight!" a character said off screen.

"Mirror armor plating's detaching!" another character said.

The scene shifted again, this time showing the back of a man. He was wearing a cape with the flag logo on his back. As he walked jewelry could be heard hitting against each other.

"Damage?" someone asked.

"Minimal!" one of his cohorts revealed. "But our thruster planes are visible now."

"Stand fast men," the figure taking up most of the screen said. "Let's teach them a little something. Teach them _exactly_ who they're facing."

Ben, still on the couch, started slightly. The man's voice sounded eerily familiar. He couldn't tell how, but he had heard it somewhere before. Was it from a cartoon, or some other English dubbed anime? It was possible.

Back to the anime, a female voice said, "Enemy fleet size is off the charts."

One of the man's companions looked up at the exploding stars. "So, all the lights in the heavens are our enemy now."

The man (the protagonist) held out a hand to reveal a little golden drill. He lightly tossed it up and caught it. "Yeah, but they're worthy opponents. I'll use the fabric of space time to wring them out of existence!" With a majestic flap of his cape he turned around and walked away.

His cohort said to the crew, "All right, prepare the maelstrom cannon! Target the great dimensional waterfall!" The scene closed in on the protagonist standing before the flag. His arms were crossed and he was standing before his crew like the confident leader he was.

"Gurren Lagann!" the protagonist yelled a smirk on his face. "Speed on! Who the hell do you think I am?" The scene shifted away from him, revealing the rest of the battle ship. It might as well have been a flying armory: there were cannons reaching the sky and robot mechas attached to the port side and other wonderful devices that faded away too quickly.

And then the scene revealed that the ship wasn't a ship at all. It was actually on top of the head of a giant robot, so large that the people on top appeared smaller than ants. And then the robots eyes flashed green, the scene shifted to black, and the anime title in Japanese characters appeared on the screen.

Ben blinked once and then said, "That was awesome."

"I know right?" Sam agreed. "But watch out for the next part. This is what I wanted to show you."

"Huh?" The scene shifted again, revealing a white figure in the ground. The figure wasn't dead or anything, but it looked similar to the signs signaling what gender could go into which restroom. It had a drill in its hand; it was creating tunnels in the dirt.

"Digging tunnels, day after day. That's my job," someone in the anime said. Ben started, nearly knocking his ice cream to the floor. It was that voice again, but now he recognized it.

_It was his voice. _

"The more we dig, the more the village can expand," the Ben-like voice continued. "When the village chief is happy, he feeds me pig-mole steaks. Do I dig for the steaks? No…"

The scene shifted again, revealing a boy with short blue hair and dark beady eyes. He was a small thing, wearing only a pair of oversized shorts, large boots, and a brown cape that covered his torso. He had a giant drill in one hand and he was covered in dirt. The boy was digging around in his tunnel, eventually holding up the same drill revealed in the badass scene earlier. Except this one slightly glowed green.

"I also do it to dig up treasure," the Ben-voice said again.

Sam chose that moment to pause the show, leaving the scene of the glowing drill onscreen. She turned to Ben, who was staring at the TV with his jaw dropped. He wanted to say something, anything, but he was too much in shock. Someone had copied his voice-his own unique voice-and revealed it to the world.

"And this is what I wanted to show you," Sam said casually, like Ben was an idiot. He closed his mouth and regained his composure.

"That's…unreal," he finally said, shaking his head. He went for a joke. "I don't exactly remember being a voice actor."

"And I don't think you take on an under-confident, wimpy persona," Sam teased. Ben gave her a confused look. "The guy with your voice is the voice actor for a wimpy character," she quickly explained. He groaned loudly and slumped in his seat.

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, for the second half of this anime, you become one of the most badass people in anime history," Sam said cheerfully. Ben gave her an incredulous look.

"Really?"

"Yup. Hey, say the name of the anime in an epic voice."

"What?"

Say it like it's the final battle against the big bad and if you don't the entire world is doomed."

"But why-?"

"Just do it!"

Ben took a moment to gather his wits. He could imagine the last battle he had with his sworn enemy, the one who threatened to take over the universe if he didn't hand over the Omnitrix. He could remember the rebellion welling up inside him, the need to defy one of the most horrible people in the universe.

"TENGEN TOPPA… _GURREN LAGANN_!" It didn't come out shaky or whiny. It was a battle cry, a defiant shout against the evil one. It was a rally cry, one a leader would have. And it was an amazing roar, one only a badass would have.

"That…was awesome," Sam applauded, actually clapping her hands together slightly. Ben gave a slight bow, saying, "Thank you, thank you," like a pompous twit. And then he spooned more ice cream in his mouth.

With a strangled cry he said, "You put hot sauce on it?!"

He could hear Sam's troll laugh echo through the house.

* * *

><p><em>Yuri Lowenthal, Ben's voice actor, also voiced Simon in the anime <strong>Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagaan<strong>. Simon is a fourteen year old boy with a very low self-esteem; Ben is an overconfident braggart. It's weird to hear the two characters at the same time because even though they share a voice actor, they sound so different. When I found this out I had to share it with you all._

_Also, Yuri Lowenthal voiced Captain Bernadette in the anime Hellsing Ultimate. It's basically Ben with a French accent. It must be seen to be believed._

_So, thoughts anyone?_


	51. The Spider Knows All

Chapter 51: The Spider Knows All

_According to Wikipedia, the Bechdel test asks whether a work of fiction features at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. _

_...this chapter passes it. WHOOO! *throws confetti in the air*_

* * *

><p>The moon was barely shining that night. The clouds were covering it, the resulting darkness an oppressive blanket over the desert. The roads that cut through it were barely lit, save for a few car headlights, the drivers forced to drive through this particular night.<p>

One such driver was a young man, who was behind the wheel of a large truck. Something was wrong with him. The front of the vehicle swerved between the yellow lines of the two way street, the end of it failing to match its speed. The truck continued to swerve like this, through the dusty road and past the rock formations throughout the desert.

The driver could vaguely see a car in front of him, a small thing. He stayed in one lane, desperate to obey the traffic laws. He was nearly tailgating the smaller car, but it was better than his earlier drunken driving.

No, no, something was going wrong again. There were flashes before his eyes-he could see monsters walking past him, pink, pulsating walls, black and purple computers. And he could hear voices too, angry tones accompanied by an undertone of hissing. The driver was hyperventilating, sweat pouring down his face, mouth open wide.

The truck swerved towards the right of the road, nearly spilling over to the desert. The smaller car quickly changed lanes; the truck driver didn't notice. His brown eyes stared straight in front of him. He could remember a loading van, no, a truck, and strange yellow creatures with octopus heads putting something inside it. It was enormous and covered by a sheet, and it was being loaded into his truck-he was carrying something that the monsters wanted-

Now he could see an archway, a golden arch that seemed to reach towards the heavens. But it wasn't complete. From the ground he could see ropes pulling building materials up to the top. It was a stormy night; why were they working during a storm?

Now he could see the nearly complete arch from far away. There were these strange white buildings in the distance, like poles with attached rings around it. And then his mind flashed to a vat of poisonous green liquid. Something purple and gray was swimming inside it, something small with tentacles. He could see a single green eye on it, attached to the pink brain that was its head. The thing opened its mouth and hissed, revealing tiny fangs. His mind flashed yet again, revealing the face of a white figure with purple and pink markings on its face.

And now he saw himself in the aliens' lair, hiding behind solid pink veins. The yellow creatures were standing guard, holding some sort of laser weapons. He saw himself sneaking past two of them towards the truck, climbing into the driver's seat and jump starting the engine. Black smoke spewed out of the two exhaust pipes atop of the roof. He could smell it even through the steel protection of the truck.

He shifted the gear into drive and accelerated, driving past the guards and smashing through the metal doors of the garage. He was speeding off into the night, far, far away from the nightmarish compound.

And now his mind was back on the road in front of him. He gripped the steering wheel, hands shaking violently. He panted, eyes twitching, sweat pouring down his face. His vision was fuzzy, the rock sediments to the side of him blurring together. His eyes were hurting too much, he had to close them.

Bad idea. The truck swerved violently, the front going to the right, the back jutting out into the desert on the left. He sped on, breaking out of the road and into the desert. He was driving past the rock formations, the moonlight barely lighting his way.

And then the front tipped downward, into the deep, inky black ravine below. The truck slid down the cliff side, hitting the ground violently. It skidded into a desert formation, breaking it to pieces. The truck tipped over on its side, the glass of the passenger door splintering apart with a large crash. Dust and debris formed a cloud over the truck, mixing with the smoke spewing out of the engine.

The driver's door opened, and the driver slowly got out. He tumbled to the ground, getting sand on his black pants and jean jacket. He dusted himself off as he got up and began to walk away from the wreckage, seemingly unharmed.

The man didn't know how long he walked. All he knew by the weak moonlight was that he was by a road. He couldn't even tell how late it was since he didn't have a watch. But the moon was high in the sky, so he assumed it was very late.

He could sense headlights and the sound of a car behind him. A red truck pulled up next to him. The man quickly got in.

"Name's Jeff," the driver said jovially. The man quickly got out his wallet and took a look at his driver's license.

"Uh…Tyler," the man said, finally having a name.

Jeff chuckled. "You gotta look it up?"

Tyler studied the contents of his wallet. He spied something red tucked away. He got it out; it was a guitar pick. Studying it, he said, "The aliens did something to my mind, but I still have to find a way to stop them."

Jeff left him on the side of the rode and sped off. Tyler quickly pulled the collar of his jacket closer to his neck and continued walking.

* * *

><p><strong>At around the same time...<strong>

"I'm telling you, Black Widow makes a bitchin' superhero," Carter said as she got out the ice cream.

"And I'm telling you, Wonder Woman is better," Sam retorted. "She's an Amazon; she exemplifies how women can still be beautiful with large muscles."

"Wonder Woman's biggest weakness is her hands being tied up by ordinary rope," Carter shot back. "Black Widow is just badass normal."

"She's also a Soviet sleeper agent that was tested on so that she can't age normally," Sam pointed out. "She doesn't qualify for badass normal."

"She didn't get any superpowers," Carter protested. "She just has a slower aging process and enhanced senses. And she doesn't have S&M fetishes."

"Wonder Woman doesn't do S&M!" Sam snapped, slapping her palm on the table. "That was a discontinued weakness from the late 70's! She's a feminist icon that girls our age can look up to. Black Widow's just there for sex appeal."

Carter arched an eyebrow. "Have you seen Wonder Woman's outfit?"

"That's to show off her toned, well-built body."

"Who's got a toned, well-built body?" Evan asked as he walked into the kitchen. He put the hot sauce on the table.

"Wonder Woman," Sam said as she went to get bowls and spoons. As the three of them shared the carton of ice cream, Ben walked through the door.

He stared. He blinked and rubbed his eyes. He stared again.

Nope, his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. Evan, Sam, and Carter were dressed for a wedding, Evan in a black groom suit, Sam in a strapless blue bridesmaid dress that reached to her ankles and Carter in a ruffled wedding dress that covered her neck to foot with a white veil in her hair.

Now, normally Ben would have just shrugged this off as his friends showing off their weirdness by dressing up fancy. But what stopped him from doing that was the fact that their clothes were torn up and covered in fake blood. It was especially startling on Carter, since red on white was a shocking contrast.

So no, Ben couldn't shrug this off. Especially since they were sitting in his kitchen, sharing a carton of ice cream like it was nobody's business.

Kevin chose that moment to walk in. "Hey, Ben, have you seen…" He trailed off as he took the scene in front of him. And then he just said, "Why?"

Carter looked up, a spoon of vanilla ice cream covered in hot sauce halfway to her mouth. "Because."

"Because why?"

"Just…because."

"Okay, was there a costume party that you guys went to?" Ben asked exasperatedly. "And did you forget to invite me?" he added bitterly.

Evan waved a flippant hand. "Don't worry Benji, we didn't forget you. We got the best man suit in your room. We also got Kevin's priest outfit up there."

"Really?" Kevin asked. "Are they covered in fake blood too?"

"Naturally," Sam said smartly.

"We really need to get Gwen in on this," Carter muttered as she scooped up more dessert. "We need another bridesmaid."

"And this goes back to my earlier question," Kevin said. "Why are you guys so dressed up?"

"We thought we'd go around town dressed up like victims in a horror movie and freak people out," Sam admitted sheepishly.

"That…kind of sounds fun," Ben confessed as he thought about it. While it was undoubtedly a strange way to pass the time, it did seem like a harmless prank to play on people. And how many other people got to say that they got blood splattered on their wedding clothes?

"How did you guys get my size anyway?" Kevin asked as he held up the bottle of hot sauce. "And hot sauce on ice cream? Really?"

Evan pointed his spoon at him dramatically and said, "Yes really! And you look around my dad's size, so I guessed," he added normally.

"Hey guys, what're you doing in…here…" Gwen trailed off as she slowed her arrival into the kitchen. She took in the shredded, bloody clothes of the Pride. The look on her face clearly said that she was about to say something about it, but then she realized who she was talking to and decided to forgo the questioning. Instead she turned Evan and asked, "Got any ice cream left for me?"

"But of course!" he said with a flourish of his hands. "With hot sauce?"

Gwen rolled her eyes and said, "Yes."

"Oh God, they got to you too," Ben said in a shocked whisper. He staggered back into Kevin, a hand over his mouth.

"What's the appeal?" Kevin asked, referring to the bottle in Gwen's hand. Evan held up his bowl of boring vanilla ice cream. Gwen looked at him wide-eyed.

"You're not going to-?"

"Look at what I have here; a bowl of plain vanilla ice cream. It looks nice, right? A creamy, boring white with no strings attached. But that's what you have: boring. Now, I can spice it up with something, like chocolate chips or sprinkles or whatever. That's all fine and dandy, but that's so _predictable_. What my bowl of ice cream here needs is some _pizzazz_."

"Some super spicy pizzazz," Carter and Sam said in cadence before dissolving into giggles.

"You ruined the buildup!" Evan shouted before laughter bubbled out of his mouth.

"You guys are weird," Kevin stated.

"And I'm perfectly fine with my ice cream topped with cookie dough chunks, thank you very much," Ben said snootily as his cell phone rang. He quickly got it out and answered. "Hello?"

"Are the Pride there with you?" was the first thing Cordelia asked.

"Cordelia?" The good humor in the room died instantly as Ben formed his next sentence. "How did you get this number?"

"Internet. Anyway, there's trouble in the desert, possibly DNAlien related. I'm sending you the coordinates." She hung up.

"What did she want?" Gwen asked the animosity in her voice unmistakable.

"She says there might be DNAlien activity in the desert," Ben answered back. He turned to Carter. "How did she get my number from the Internet?"

"Slayer intelligence, dude," she said. "It's impossible to beat."

"And how is she sending us the coordinates?" Ben began as something on the ceiling caught his eye. It was small and black and it was moving in between the light fixtures. Everyone turned to where he was staring at.

"Is that a…" Kevin started as the thing slowly descended into the room. Gwen shrieked and tried to get as far away from it as possible. Everyone else just stared in horrified fixation.

It was a tarantula, about the size of a fist. It was a sleek black color, its eight legs arched. It had small, beady black eyes that stared straight ahead of it. It was hanging by a thick stream of silk.

Everything about it screamed of unnaturalness. It wasn't twitching its legs or moving its body about as it descended like a normal spider. It stood stock still as it finally stopped in the middle of the room, as if waiting for someone to pluck it out of the air.

Carter held up her heavy skirts and walked over to the tarantula. She cradled it in her open palm and slight whirring sound could be heard. The silk thread hanging from the ceiling disappeared into the spider's body. It then arched its legs and stood up, beady eyes staring straight at Carter.

And then the back of its body split apart into four separate pieces, revealing the silver metal underneath. A green light fizzled out of it, creating a round gridline holo-map of the desert. A single moving red dot blinked inside the sea of green.

"Whatever we're dealing with is headed to the police station," Carter revealed. "We don't have much time." She curled her fists around the robot tarantula until she was practically squishing it. And then she opened her fist to reveal a small black disk in the middle of her palm.

"…What is that?" Ben asked in a scared monotone.

"A robot spider with a camera and a tiny computer," Carter said.

"And you have _spying on me in my own house_?"

Sam gave a bark of laughter. "Please, Ben. We have them in everyone's home."

"Even mine?" Kevin asked pointing to himself. Sam nodded sheepishly. Carter flung the disk at the older teen. He caught it with both hands and peered at it with disgusted curiosity.

Gwen finally found her voice. "You guys need to change."

"Way ahead of you," Sam said as she unzipped her dress. The Pride was already in different states of undress, revealing their normal clothes underneath.

Ben, who had been ready to cover his eyes and run out of the room, just asked, "You wore clothes underneath your clothes?"

"You never know when you'll need a quick change," Sam said as she tied the halter behind her neck. Evan quickly looped his belt around his waist as Carter fixed her long sleeves.

"…You guys are insane," was all Ben said.

"And we're going to hide these up in your room," Evan said picking up his destroyed costume. "We'll see you in the car."

* * *

><p>The lights were off in the jail cells.<p>

It was dark and putrid. The desert highway patrol clearly wasn't big on cleanliness. Tyler could smell the toilet in his cell, and he crinkled his nose in disgust. He quickly sat on the bed thankful that at least it wasn't crawling with roaches.

Tyler held a hand to his head and said to himself, "Details: my name is Tyler. I'm…I'm 26 years old, maybe a little confused, but…but I'm not crazy!" He said the last part defiantly, daring anyone who was listening to contradict him. Since he was alone in the jail, no one did.

"Somebody listen!" Tyler shouted into the emptiness. "There are aliens! I saw them!" He screamed and lied down on the bed, visions flashing through his mind. He could see the large white aliens talking to each other, gesturing to a circular green map on the wall.

"_These humans are resilient," _one of them had said. Its voice was awful, like nails on a chalkboard. And there was that low, awful hiss that seemed to come from all the aliens, not just the little yellow ones.

There was another voice in his head, a low, gruff one. It didn't sound like the others; it simply seemed to rumble. "Wake up," the voice was saying, its tone rough.

"Wake up!"

* * *

><p>"He's here," the intercom on the badge said. "The one who escaped, he's in the jail cell right now."<p>

"Good," said the grating noise of the High Breed. "Bring Tyler and the oscillator key to us." The intercom went dead.

Kevin turned around in the driver's seat. "You guys got the location of the headquarters?"

"Not exactly," Evan admitted as he looked at the holo-grid on the black disk. "They've got one hell of a code on their transmission. The most I can get right now is a rough estimate on where the nest might be."

"Maybe we can get the escapee to tell us where it is," Sam pointed out. "Unless it's some sort of diversion for us," she added darkly.

"Keep your paranoia to normal levels," Gwen told her. "They don't know we're here. And the guy they're after seems to know more than he should."

"So why go to the police?" Carter asked. "The government won't help."

"Most humans have been taught to trust the police with any serious problems," Ben pointed out. "Maybe he thought they'd give him some level of protection."

"He's not a smart guy," Kevin said flatly as he turned around. He had parked the car behind a giant rock sediment less than a block away from the police station. Nothing seemed to be going on right now, but the DNAliens could come up to pick up their friend at any minute.

"We should split up," Sam said suddenly. "We can go stake out the headquarters while you help this guy."

"You sure that's a good idea?" Kevin arched an eyebrow.

"You can always contact us if there are any changes, and besides, this is a small car and it's already crowded." She jerked a thumb at the backseat which was filled past capacity.

"She's got a point," Evan said. "We'll see you later." Dark shadows passed over three members of the team; a moment later only three were left.

* * *

><p>"Ain't nothin' to be afraid of, Tyler," one of the policemen said. He opened the cell door and walked inside. "We just need yer statement."<p>

This obviously was supposed to reassure Tyler, but the way the two officers were looking at him was strange. Their eyes were oddly vacant. A police officer shouldn't have such vacant eyes.

"Where'd you hide The Key?" the other one said, walking into the cell.

"Key?" Tyler asked dumbly. Something was obviously up. Why had these men just walked into his cell? Why didn't they use a key to unlock the door?

They were police officers. He was a lunatic. _Why hadn't they locked his cell door?_

"Aw, don't play stupid," the blond officer said, holding up a red laser gun.

"There's nowhere to run, Tyler," the other one said.

The blond pressed his hand against Tyler's mouth and pushed him against the wall. He struggled but he was pinned by inhuman strength. He couldn't get out.

"Make it easy on yerself, boy," the blonde growled. "Tell us where to find it."

Tyler, in his struggles, hit the face of the man pinning him. His knuckles hit something metal; a mask slid off the face of the fake officer and clattered to the floor. It was human shaped, with a closed mouth and a nose and two holes for the eyes.

Tyler stared at it before slowly, slowly turning back to the face of the fake officer. It wasn't human. A green, oval eye stared back at him, its black-red pupil a pinprick in the sea of green. It had a pink cranium-no, its brain was showing, with the crevices and everything. Purple tentacles were folded against each other to form a mouth shape. Its scrawny, bony body was covered in a bright yellow jumpsuit.

Tyler ripped the hand off his mouth and shouted, "You're one of them!"

The alien slowly stood up. The other officer took of his own mask to reveal the same type of alien underneath. The alien in front of the only human said, in a husky, hissing voice:

"We don't have to harm you, Tyler."

"Not at first," the other one said sadistically.

With superhuman speed Tyler jumped off the bed and lifted it over his head. He slammed the metal frame into the two aliens and pushed them against the opposite wall. He bent the bed frame over their bodies, trapping them in a cocoon. Panting hard, he staggered back and quickly ran out of the cell, closing the door behind him.

He could hear the sounds of the monsters freeing themselves from their cocoon. Tyler ran as fast as he could, past the empty desks where the real officers should be and out the doors. He frantically looked at the two police cars stationed out front. Tyler didn't have time to go back and look for any car keys. He scrambled down the steps and towards one of them. He quickly tried opening the car door; no dice. He ran to the other side and slid down the metal, staying out of sight of the front doors.

The front doors of the station slammed open. He could hear the aliens hissing as they surveyed the empty space of the desert. Sweat poured down Tyler's face as he heard the aliens climb down the front steps, their feet crunching on the gravel as they neared the cars.

Tyler whipped his head towards the left. One of the aliens was standing before him, glaring down at him. The alien's tentacles slid back to reveal the beaked mouth. Green slime shot out of the hole and hit the door next to Tyler. He turned to run, but the other alien was next to him.

Tyler frantically ran towards the road, the aliens chasing after him. He could hear their footsteps running towards him, the hissing sounds coming out of their beaked mouth holes.

And then a car suddenly appeared, the headlights nearly blinding him. The green Dodge Challenger swerved to a stop, the front end aimed towards the desert. The passenger door opened, revealing the thuggish youth driving it.

A boy's head popped out of the backseat. He looked younger than the guy driving, and more innocent. "Get in!" he ordered.

Tyler stared at the two of them before turning back to the aliens. A shot of green slime flew past his head, mere inches from his ear. He dove into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut. The car peeled away, far away from the antagonistic aliens.

A good ten minutes passed before the car slowed to a safer speed limit. Tyler's heart slowly went back to its normal rate, and he forced himself to gaze at the teens who rescued him. He couldn't help but be suspicious of them, no matter how thankful he was for the save.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Ben," the young boy in the backseat said. He pointed to the redhead beside him. "This is Gwen and that's Kevin." The guy driving gave him a slight nod of acknowledgement.

"We're here to help you," Gwen said gently.

Tyler desperately wanted to believe them, but he had to be careful. He roughly grabbed Ben's face and pulled at the skin. "Ow!" the boy cried, slapping his hands away. "Why'd you do that?"

"You'd never believe me," Tyler said, turning away.

"Think Tennyson," Kevin scoffed. "Those DNAliens came out of the police station."

"They must have had ID masks," Ben realized.

"You know about the aliens?" Tyler asked, not believing.

Kevin held up a badge that had a green hourglass inside a black circle design. "Been scannin' for communications that mention any kind of tech above level two. You're name came up Tyler."

"You know who I am?"

"Only that somebody back there made a call about you," Ben explained. "Said you got an oscillator key, whatever that is."

"Level five alien tech," Kevin stated.

"And fighting aliens is kind of our specialty," Ben said.

"Where'd you get your hands on alien technology?" Gwen asked.

Tyler just shook his head. "I-I don't know. Something messed up my memory." He held up his guitar pick.

"What's that?" Kevin questioned. "More alien tech?"

"It's a pick," Ben said. "A base pick. My friend has one of those."

"Are you a musician?" Gwen asked conversationally.

"That sounds right," Tyler admitted, "but I don't have any clear memories."

"Well that helps," Kevin said sarcastically. "You stole a hyper-dimensional oscillator key from a High Breed nest and, oh, you play the base."

"Lights off!" Ben suddenly ordered.

"Huh?" went Kevin.

"Just do it!"

Kevin did as told, shutting off all power in the car. They could see the lights now in the canyon next to them. Hundreds of DNAliens with searchlights were crawling all over the side of the road.

Suddenly the car hit the side of the road and a piece of rock tumbled down the cliff side. Kevin quickly hid the car behind a rock sediment just as DNAliens came rushing out of the canyon. From the side they could see lights streaking across the road. The lights moved for a monstrously long time before they subsided. Kevin quickly turned his headlights back on and sped out of that death trap.

"They're out in full force," Ben noted ominously. "Something big is up."

"A hyper-dimensional oscillator key's 'bout as big as it gets," Kevin said. "It's for warping space."

"I had to steal it away," Tyler explained. "To stop the aliens."

"From doing what?" Ben asked.

"…It'll come to me."

"Helpful," Kevin said sardonically.

"Guys, we do have an advantage," Gwen said quickly. "They may need it, but they don't know where it is."

"I do," Tyler said.

* * *

><p><em>Okay, so Carter and Sam are talking about female superheroes. But they still pass the Bechdel test, which is more than most famous movies do.<em>

_So, thoughts anyone?_


	52. Let the Bodies Hit the Floor

Chapter 52: Let the Bodies Hit the Floor

_Okay, I admit: I was thinking about the song "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor" by Utility Pool during a certain scene in this chapter. No, I'm not a fan of the band, in case you were wondering. I'm just really familiar with the song._

_Also, a few of you have been asking me to write a chapter concerning the Jennifer Nocturne episode. I will most certainly do it, I just have to get through the rest of Alien Force to get there, meaning I have to write season three. Now, I'm not a fan of season three-and I imagine many of you feel the same way- and at first I just thought the creators had gotten lazy with it. But then I found out that wasn't the case at all._

_You see, Alien Force was only supposed to be two seasons. Look at the end of War of the Worlds Part 2; it was clearly set up to be the end so there could be another series after it. But then Cartoon Network suddenly wanted a third season, and the creators had to oblige. And they did have a pretty decent third season planned out: Ben had new aliens and Kevin got turned into a monster like in Ultimate Alien. The creators were all set to go until at the last minute the Cartoon Network _executives_ told them to scrap the idea, believing the plot to be too dark and leaving the creators scrambling. And thus, we have Ben 10: Alien Force season three._

_So please, when you think about season 3, don't blame the writers for it. Blame Cartoon Network._

* * *

><p>"Why is always something abandoned?" Sam griped. "Why can't it ever be a building with a population, like a Starbucks, or a haunted mansion?"<p>

"Because that'd be too boring," Carter said as she gave the binoculars to Evan. He took them and peered at the rundown mining shaft. DNAliens had parked beat up cars next to the dilapidated office building and garage. The lights were on in the office building as well as the far away mine shaft, when it clearly shouldn't; this particular mine had been closed for years.

"But why an abandoned mine?" Evan asked the others as he put the binoculars away. "It's empty; there shouldn't be any precious minerals down there anymore."

"Maybe they were just using it as a hideout to build their weapons," Sam pointed out. "No one works there anymore, so no one would suspect anything to be going on. And even if someone suspected this mine was in use, the DNAliens could use their holographic projections to make it look abandoned."

"Or they could just take them out and use them as minions," Carter said pragmatically. Sam and Evan looked at her. "What?"

"Being morbid is my thing," Sam snapped. "Don't steal my thing!"

"But I'm a Goth, I have to be morbid!"

"You already have sarcasm, let me have dark thoughts!"

"Will you two knock it off?" Evan said exasperatedly. "We have a job to do."

"We've already found the headquarters," Carter pointed out. "Our job's done."

"Shouldn't we take a closer look at this?" Sam wondered. "We're already here, we might as well take inventory on what they have going on."

"And maybe wreck a few buildings while we're at it," Evan said hopefully.

"That won't do," Carter told him sternly. "We shouldn't let them know we're here. We just go in, look around, and get out."

Evan thought for a moment before agreeing. "Good point. We can always just send in someone else."

"Shadow powers, activate!" Sam said melodramatically as they traveled through the darkness.

The inside of the mine shaft was lively. DNAliens were running about with laser weapons in their hands. A couple of High Breeds were scattered here and there, giving sharp orders to their servants. Even the pulsing pink walls seemed agitated.

"Something's gone wrong," Sam whispered as a few DNAliens passed over them.

"Tyler has the Key, remember?" Evan pointed out. He quickly stuck his face out of the murky shadows and peered over at a DNAlien with a clipboard. When he couldn't make out the language he quickly went back into the shadows.

And then they all heard someone say, "Tyler." They sharply turned to a group of aliens huddled together. And then the group quickly moved away like aliens on a mission.

"Let's follow them," Carter said rhetorically. They quickly moved undetected, trailing after the gaggle of panicking monsters onto a white ship. It was circular and white and _huge_, about as wide as a football field. The Pride quickly snuck in as the hatch to the ship closed.

From there they made their way through the sterile white hallways down to what looked like the command center. DNAliens were manning the controls in the circular room, pouring over maps and commands given to them by superior officers.

One of the aliens running by asked another DNAlien, "Are you sure you know where the oscillator key is?"

The other alien gave a sharp rebuttal. "Of course I do! We had Tyler traced. And if we're right he's going right back to it with Ben Tennyson. We can retrieve the Key and take out the human vermin at once."

Evan snapped his neck towards Carter. "We need to contact Ben!"

The Goth got her phone out. "Way ahead of you."

* * *

><p>Kevin quickly parked the car at the edge of the cliff. Because it totally wasn't dangerous to do that.<p>

Ben quickly got out the flashlight stowed away in the car and slid down the cliff side with the others climbing down after him. It wasn't long before they got to the bottom. A quick scan with the flashlight revealed broken parts of the truck scattered about.

"I ditched it over here," Tyler said, leading the way. The flashlight revealed the totaled truck. The end of it was smashed, the driver's door was wrenched open and glass littered the ground.

"Nice job parking, slick," Kevin griped at Tyler.

"You can't see it from the road," he shot back. "Driving a truck isn't easy."

"Neither is keeping a piece of equipment this size from the aliens," Gwen pointed out as she walked towards the vehicle. "I'm still wondering about that." She quickly put out her hands and shot mana out of them. The tentacles latched onto the bent doors and tore off the metal. The inside revealed stacks of rectangular boxes; shipping cargo, presumably.

Ben and Gwen took a look inside before Ben turned in Chromastone. Tyler, who earlier had a mini panic attack over Gwen's powers, asked Kevin, "What are you people?"

He smirked. "Get used to it."

"Let me speed this up a bit," Chromastone said. His entire body glowed a myriad of colors. He put his fist out and sent a rainbow blast to the side of the truck, incinerating a hole into it. He jumped into it, pushing at the metal to make it a rounder shape. And then he climbed inside and began to rummage about.

At that moment Kevin got a call. He picked up with a, "What up?"

"Where's Ben?" Carter said sharply on the other side of the line.

"We found the oscillator key and the guy who took it," he said. "Ben's inside the truck checking it out."

"What?" Carter took a sharp intake of breath. "No! The DNAliens have Tyler traced. They know where the key is! _Get out of there_!"

From inside the truck, Chromastone shouted, "Aw man!" It was quickly followed by a symphony of low hissing noises. The steel wall of the truck was being bent in two, a hole being torn through it. And then Chromastone was thrown through the tear, exploding out of the truck and crashing into the canyon beside it.

DNAliens immediately popped out of the truck, creating more holes in the steel cage. Instantly they were on Chromastone, throwing balls of slime out of their beaked mouth holes.

And then one of them felt a mana blast at the back of its head. Gwen started throwing spells at the creatures only to have one of them push her back into the steel truck. She quickly shook off the pain and went back to fighting.

Tyler stood in the middle of the fray, unsure of what to do. He wanted to help, but he was only a weak human. He heard hissing sounds from behind him. Two DNAliens were ganging up on him. He staggered back, preparing to be killed when suddenly the two heads of the monsters slammed together. They fell onto the ground, revealing Kevin with a steel casing around his body.

Tentacles reached out towards Kevin, bringing him towards another alien. He quickly punched it out of submission and began to lay into another few DNAliens.

Tyler turned to look at the oscillator key still inside the truck. It was unimaginably huge, but that made sense because why else would the DNAliens need a large truck to transport it? It was a pristine white with thousands of circle designs swirled around it. He continued to stare transfixed as his rescuers slowly became overcome by the monsters.

Gwen, who had been facing off one on one against a DNAlien, soon had her hands trapped. The alien she had been fighting glared at her, hissing out, "We are stronger than you, human. Much, much stronger."

Pink energy swirled around her hands. "Yeah, well, body odor isn't everything." Two mana tentacles wrapped around the waists of the DNAlien in front of her and another one standing next to her. She threw them both in opposite directions.

Chromastone, who had been kicking serious DNAlien butt from across the canyon, punched out the one in front of him. Another one crept in front of him, holding a cylindrical container. "You're coming with us," it said, opening the container. A Xenocyte jumped out of it. With a hiss its tentacles clamped onto Chromastone's face.

Kevin struggled as two of the DNAliens had him in a bind. Tyler kept staring at the oscillator key, his eyes travelling to the silvery wires in the middle of it. His mind flashed back to earlier. He was hiding inside one of the pulsing pink rooms, with three of the large, white aliens inside. They were looking up at a green holo-grid with red dots blinking all over it.

"_**Once the oscillator key completes the jump gate, how long will it take?" **_one of them asked.

"_**Perhaps a day, master, perhaps longer," **_another one answered. _**"These humans are resilient."**_

"_**They are degenerate filth," **_the third one said, bringing up a fist and shaking it angrily. _**"The High Breed fleet will pull through and wipe this planet clean as any other."**_

And then he saw it, the unfinished arch reaching towards the heavens. Ropes were pulling supplies to the top. Inside this arch was a space with a missing component. It had three holes, glowing a faint blue. It had thousands of circular designs all around it, just like the oscillator key stuck in the truck.

"Got it," Tyler said.

Whatever realization he just encountered was instantly forgotten as Chromastone stood up. His face was covered by the Xenocyte and he almost appeared zombie-like. And then he crossed his arms.

"Super compressed silicon, guys," Chromastone said dryly. He grabbed the Xenocyte off him and threw the shrieking monstrosity off him. "Nice try though." He then blasted them away with his rainbow ray of awesome.

Cracking could be heard from the truck. A group of DNAliens were surrounding Kevin, holding him down. One of them had put a giant tear in his armor and was slowly trying to peel it away. They were opening it, revealing the human chest beneath it. All of them were hit by a laser ray and Kevin fell to the ground.

Chromastone kneeled beside him. "You okay?"

Kevin sat up to reveal the gaping hole in his chest. "No."

They both stood up and turned to the last DNAlien on the battle field. Even Tyler looked away from his musings in time to see Gwen face against the creature.

Energy fizzled around her hands as Gwen growled, "This is it, guy. You're the last monster standing."

"Scum," the DNAlien sneered. "There are countless others." He then ran away towards the conveniently parked car not too far away from the totaled truck. He put on his ID mask and started the engine.

All of the DNAliens who had been unconscious quickly woke up and started running towards the truck. The good guys watched as they all piled into the back, pushing and shoving. One of them quickly closed the back doors and the car quickly escaped.

Gwen's hands still had mana fizzling around them. "Let them go," Chromastone told her. The energy disappeared.

"Right," she agreed. "It's the big key we're after." Chromastone changed back into Ben as the metal armor slid off of Kevin.

"Ben!" Tyler piped up. "I got it. The aliens-not these- the other ones in charge…"

"The High Breed," Kevin told him. "The big ones."

"Yeah! They're building a dimensional gateway in Los Soledad!"

"Where are they going?" Ben asked suspiciously.

Tyler shook his head. "Not going; coming. The whole High Breed fleet is gonna invade and destroy the Earth!" When Ben looked unconvinced, he added, "I remember!"

Ben walked over to him. "Yeah, and I think I know why you remember." He grabbed Tyler's face, pulling off the ID mask covering it. It fell to the ground with a clatter.

Tyler took a look at his hands, no, claws. He had only three of them, all black. His scrawny, misshapen body was covered in a yellow jumpsuit. His mouth was covered by purple tentacles, hiding the beaked mouth.

Poor Tyler was a DNAlien.

* * *

><p>"Where exactly are these guys headed?" Carter asked the others. The ship had long taken off, heading out of the abandoned mine shaft and into the air to where the oscillator key was. It was only a matter of time before they arrived. Stuck in the air ducts, tired of hanging around in the shadows, the Pride hatched their next course of action.<p>

"Middle of the desert, not too far from the desert patrol," Sam answered as she sent Isaac the coordinates. "The oscillator key's too heavy to just carry, which is why they must be sending the ship."

"In that case we need to take this thing out before it reaches the others," Evan decreed. "Problem is if we do it too soon, we'll be too far away to help Ben and the others. If we do it too late we risk hurting them."

"We have less than fifteen minutes before the ship arrives," Sam pointed out. "It's now or never."

"I agree with Sam," Carter said. "What say you, o fearless leader?"

Evan gave a sardonic smile. "Let's blow this smoothie joint."

Once again the three of them melted into the shadows, heading for the control room. Evan separated from the group to cut off the doors-no one could get in or out. It took a while for the DNAliens to notice. And then the bloodbath started.

It took a moment for Sam to get ready, but soon her chainsaw went flying. She hacked at the first alien from the shoulder, diagonally cutting through to the spine, slicing it in half, and ending the cut at the waist. One side went left, the other right. Blood spurted everywhere as the pieces fell to the floor.

At that moment it was pandemonium. Carter's scythe quickly chopped off the heads of a few DNAliens who tried to get to the doors. They ran like headless chickens before the bodies hit the floor. As soon as the monsters tried to fight the girls, though, they melted back in the shadows.

A few of the DNAliens tried for the controls. A little black portal appeared on the white wall, and a hand with a gun came out of it. Evan made "pew, pew" noises from his mouth as one by one the DNAliens by the controls fell. He retracted his hands as soon as another alien tried to grab his weapon away.

Half of the aliens were dead now. The remaining portion frantically called for help, but the emergency line had been mysteriously cut. Hands appeared by the alien holding the telephone. They grabbed its head and lifted it up off the ground, the telephone clattering to the floor. The alien's neck quickly broke and it fell to the ground in a heap. Carter jumped next to the body and sliced another DNAlien in half when it tried to attack her.

With a final wave of her chainsaw Sam took down the last standing DNAlien, practically gutting it. She was covered in its blood when the body finally fell. "Little help here, Carter," Sam said as she willed her weapon away.

"Yeah, I'm gonna need a clean up too once your done," Evan pointed out. He pushed away the corpse of an alien off the controls and sat in the commanders' chair, pouring over the data. Carter quickly used her liquid-controlling powers to peel the drying blood off Sam's person before doing it to herself, letting the liquid drip to the floor along with the other blood stains. Once she was done the Goth made her way over to Evan.

"Your turn Evan," she said cheerfully. He made a noise saying her understood and stood up. As Carter quickly pulled the blood off him, he said:

"We don't have much time."

"Do we ever?" Sam quipped.

"Well no, that's not our style," Evan joked back. Then his face turned somber. "But what I mean is that we don't have much time before the High Breed invade. The oscillator key is probably the last thing they need."

"Don't they need a power source though?" Carter pointed out. "An oscillator key is for warping space. They'd need a large supply of it to power that thing."

"Yeah, but what powers an oscillator key?" Evan mused as Carter removed the last of the blood off his person. She let the red liquid fall to the floor far away from them.

"Maybe it has something to do with that abandoned mine," Sam pointed out. "Maybe whatever they're doing there is to power up the key."

The other two pondered that for a moment before Carter said, "Maybe. Why was that mine abandoned anyway?"

"And why would the High Breed use Earth for their hyperspace gates?" Evan asked rhetorically. "We're a level two planet; we're pretty worthless."

"Not necessarily," Sam protested lightly. "Earth has a lot of resources. Oil, water, wind…"

"All of those are crude though," Carter pointed out as Sam trailed off. "It doesn't matter how effective they are, no planet above level three would touch them."

"Then maybe the power source the DNAliens want is in that mine," Sam said. "Maybe it isn't a crude fossil fuel but something that could only be found within the Earth itself."

"That's it!" Evan whooped. "Sam, you're a genius!"

"About time you realized it," Sam said smugly. "Now, why am I a genius?"

"Because you might have found a way to delay the invasion," Carter explained. "All we have to do is find out why the mine was shut down, find out what they were mining and stop the DNAliens from harvesting it."

"Or instead of that we fuck with the oscillator key so the High Breed can't use it," Evan said cheerfully. And then the ship dipped violently. The Pride slammed into the controls as the space ship slowly lost altitude, heading past the clouds and down to the ground.

Evan regained his footing and tried to get control back to the ship, his fingers flying over the commands. "I can't control the ship!" he said finally. "I don't really get this technology," he added bitterly.

"Have you tried pushing random buttons?" Sam pointed out.

"I seriously don't think-"

"Do it anyway!"

That's not going to work!" Carter roared as the ship dipped again. The girls clung to the commanders' chair as Evan's head hit the dashboard. He shook off the disorientation.

"Wait, shouldn't we be spiraling towards the ground right about now?" Sam asked as she saw just how slowly they were descending.

"That only happens in the movies," Evan pointed out. "What happens in an airplane is that once the engine fails or anything else that can go wrong actually does go wrong, the wings of the plane keep the plane afloat for a while. The air itself is slippery and will actually try to keep the plane flying. Thanks to that the airplane won't spiral as it slowly descends towards the Earth. While it's true that smaller aircraft may spiral towards the Earth in the event of an accident, the sturdier commercial airlines won't."

"Evan, we're in a spaceship," Carter deadpanned. "It doesn't have wings."

"Oh." Evan blinked. "Then yeah, I don't know."

The plane hit turbulence then. "We need to get out of here!" Carter cried out.

Evan immediately started putting explosives everywhere. "Sam, light these up when I say so!" Once he was done, he clung onto Carter and Sam. "Light it up!" he ordered. With a flick of her wrist the redhead set fire to the tiny explosives. Just before they went off the Pride shadow traveled out of the control room.

They didn't see the explosions go off.

* * *

><p>Ben as Humungousaur was helping Gwen lift the oscillator key out of the canyon when a spaceship arrived next to them. It was huge and black, nearly untraceable in the dark sky until Kevin saw it block out the moon. Lights appeared from the windows, creating a surreal picture of a rectangular UFO. It landed not far from Kevin's car, silver spokes attaching themselves to the ground. A platform descended from it, creating the entrance and exit.<p>

A woman in black high heels, a black skirt with matching black jacket and a white lab coat walked down the platform. Her silver white hair was slung over her shoulder in a braid and half of her face was hidden behind a signature triangular bang.

"Cordelia?" Kevin asked stupefied.

"Great," Gwen muttered under her breath.

"Good job team, you've got the oscillator key," Cordelia said, clapping her hands. And then she saw Tyler in his DNAlien form right next to Gwen. "And why is he still breathing?" she said coolly, eyeing Tyler suspiciously.

"He's not on their side," Gwen said sharply, meeting Cordelia's eyes. "He's been fighting the Xenocyte and was somehow able to reverse the process. He has his human brain back."

"And yet he's trapped in a monster's body; how poetic," Cordelia said sardonically. "How do you know for certain?"

"He got the key away from the DNAliens," Humungousaur pointed out.

"And you believe him?"

"We have no reason not to," Kevin said.

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Ben, put the oscillator key in the ship." Humungousaur and Gwen quickly pulled the key onto the platform. As the dinosaur alien pushed the key further into the spaceship, Gwen shot Cordelia a look of utmost hatred. Cordelia just smirked.

And then Tyler said, "What's that?" Everyone looked up to see a giant spaceship hovering over them. It was completely on fire.

"Oh no," Cordelia gasped staggering back.

"What's wrong?" Kevin asked alarmed.

"The Pride's on that ship."

"_What?" _Gwen cried out as the ship flew past them, landing three, four, no five hundred feet away from them. It crashed into the ground with a thunderous sound, debris flying everywhere. The flames were reaching the sky, the acrid smoke blocking out the moon.

"Who else was on that ship?" Humungousaur demanded to know as he climbed down the platform.

Cordelia instantly regained her composure and explained. "The DNAliens had your friend here traced." She gave a curt nod to Tyler. "They were going to retrieve the key themselves until the Pride intervened. Though why they chose to blow it up is beyond me," she added as an afterthought.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Evan admitted. Everyone turned sharply to the Dodge Challenger. The Pride were sitting on the hood, Evan sandwiched between Carter and Sam. He gave a wave. "Hi."

"Why do you insist on blowing everything up?" Cordelia snapped.

"It's a good way to get rid of evidence."

"It's a pain to clean up!"

"Doesn't matter," Carter interjected. "What's done is done. So tell me, are the other so-called lesser beings fighting the DNAlien overwrite or is Tyler here just special?"

"Oh no, they're fighting it," Gwen said. "Tyler's just the only case where it actually succeeded."

Humungousaur chose that moment to turn into Ben. He then put a hand on Tyler's face. "What are you doing?" the lone DNAlien said.

"Fixing you." With a bright green flash the alien turned back into the human. The Xenocyte fell to the ground dead.

Carter summoned a plate of ice so Tyler could use it as a mirror. Tyler took it and exclaimed, "I'm me again! I can remember everything along with it. I was born in Evansdale, and I was in glee club in high school."

"And you play the bass?" Kevin pointed out.

"I do!"

"If you remember everything, than your memories will be invaluable in figuring out how to defeat the High Breed," Cordelia told Tyler. "Not only that, but you've been gone for ages. We need to locate your family and try to get your life back together."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Well, not for free," she admitted. "But yes, we will do that for you." She led him up the platform. Halfway up she turned back to the Pride. "You're riding with us. You need to report everything that happened. And you three need to leave here as well." She nodded towards the inferno not far from them. The heat was starting to become unbearable. "We don't want the authorities catching you."

"Aw, Cordelia, you do care!" Ben said holding his hands to his heart.

She gave a half smile. "Shut up Ben."

* * *

><p><em>Just a little science lesson to prove that you shouldn't believe the movies. Also, did you spot the LittleKuriboh joke? I Just HAD to put it in. XP<em>

_So, thoughts anyone?_


	53. Angry Brides

Chapter 53: Angry Brides

_Source of Kevin's exorcist's prayer: www. catholic prayers/ ?p=682_

**WARNING: **_Prayer must be said by a priest __only__. Anyone else could be liable for demonic possession, harm, or death of a loved one._

_Okay, I admit, I had a little too much fun with this chapter, especially the bit with the "exorcism." And the prayer is part of a real exorcist prayer, so I don't suggest reciting it. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. _

* * *

><p>"An abandoned mine in the desert?" Isaac asked, arching an eyebrow. He was sitting behind a metal desk inside the giant rectangular ship. A lamp was attached to the desk, the beam of light erupting from it incredibly strong. A recording device was on the desk, taking down everything that was being said. The Pride was on the other side, sitting on metal chairs bolted to the floor.<p>

"Yes, the old Bellwood mine," Evan said continuing with the interrogation. "It was closed down some years ago thanks to a fire breaking out, and due to the recession operation never started up again. It was a small mine too, so that's probably another reason why no one's looked into reviving it."

"And you believe that the DNAliens want whatever is in that mine?" Isaac asked.

"After further speculation we've concluded that the mine must have been a quartz mine," Carter attested. "The mineral is very common, especially near the Bellwood area, and there are plenty of quartz deposits littering the desert. And since the mine was abandoned, it wouldn't be too hard for the DNAliens to secretly start up the mine and continue the operation."

"Professor Paradox of the 1950s experiment Project Paradox also used quartz to power his time machine," Sam pointed out. "Obviously there are some properties in quartz that can power things straight out of science fiction."

Isaac nodded once and turned off the recording device. He then turned off the intense light of the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. The ceiling lights turned on seconds later, revealing a soundproofed room covered in metal.

"Why do you insist on interrogating us like that?" Carter complained as the Pride stood up.

Isaac cracked a grin. "It has a nice ambience to it."

* * *

><p>Tyler was lying on a bed, eyes closed. He looked like he was sleeping, except Cordelia had a hand on his sweaty forehead. She was searching through his memories, pouring over every detail of Tyler's imprisonment, trying to find the truth behind his words.<p>

Tyler suddenly cried out, jerking his head away. His eyes snapped open and he panted heavily. Cordelia slowly withdrew her hand.

"Memory searching can be a horrible thing to experience," she said as the boy began to calm down. "The good thing is that it seems we have all the information we need."

"You believe me then?" Tyler rasped out.

Cordelia nodded. "Your story checks out. Everything you've told us is along the lines of what we have on the High Breed invasion." She withdrew a stack of papers from her coat pocket. "Here's all the information on your current life. We'll take you back home tomorrow. Get some rest for now." With that she up and left Tyler.

Cordelia walked down the hallway until she met up with Isaac, who had been searching for her. "Everything checks out okay?" was the first thing he asked.

She nodded. "Tyler's been telling the whole truth. I told him we'd search for his current residence tomorrow."

"What do we do with the oscillator key?" Isaac asked. "The High Breed will do anything to take it back. And with their network it's only a matter of time until they find it."

Cordelia shook her head in disgust. "I hate to say it, but the DNAlien intelligence network is almost as good as ours."

"Another thing that worries me is what's going on in Los Soledad," Isaac revealed. "No doubt the final battle will be held there, and the High Breed invasion force will be thousands strong. We may have to finally alert the other Slayers what's going on."

Cordelia slowly nodded. "I agree. The situation is too dire to simply leave to Ben and the Pride."

"Normally I would agree with you, but that plan would have catastrophic consequences," a refined British voice sounded through the hallway. Cordelia and Isaac calmly turned to Professor Paradox leaning against the wall, all traces of humor swept away from his immortal face.

"Rare seeing you Paradox," Isaac greeted him.

"How would such a plan have catastrophic consequences?" Cordelia narrowed her eyes. "It's exactly what we've been fighting for: a union between the Plumbers and Slayers."

"What you're planning has an overwhelming amount of Slayers on the battlefield," the professor pointed out. "The Plumbers will be stretched out to their limits trying to help all the planets the High Breed will destroy, while the Slayers are concentrated onto one single spot?"

"It does make us look bad," Isaac admitted. "Or it will."

"I hate what time travel does to grammar," Cordelia muttered. She turned to Paradox. "But you know us, Paradox. We're always spread out; this is probably the only time you'll see so many Slayers in one area."

"We know that, but the Plumbers don't," Paradox pointed out. "You also now know that the humans taken over by the Xenocytes are fighting back. With the way your Slayers are programmed they'll just kill them anyway."

"We can't afford a bloodbath," Isaac agreed solemnly.

"So you want us to leave Los Soledad to the kids," Cordelia stated. When Paradox nodded, she told Isaac, "Send a message to Plumber HQ about what's going on. They'll most likely listen to you. I'll start bringing in some scouts so we have a ready army to help the Plumbers. Does that work for you?" She turned to Paradox, but the time traveler was gone.

"I'll take that as a yes."

* * *

><p><strong>A few days later<strong>

"Why are we doing this again?" Gwen asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"Because it seems like fun," Evan said. The redhead picked at her torn and bloody bridesmaid dress.

"Yes, scaring people in the middle of the night is just _loads_ of fun."

"Well, yeah. Why wouldn't it be?"

"She was being sarcastic," Sam pointed out as she walked in.

"Oh, I know. I was just being Sheldon Cooper."

"Sheldon Cooper is one lab accident away from being a super villain. You're just a kid who's good at planning ahead."

Evan mimed an arrow through the heart. "You're killing me DuBaer!"

Sam rolled her eyes as everyone else came walking in. Carter had obviously taken the liberty of further destroying her outfit, ripping out chunks of the gauzy skirt and adding more blood to her bodice. Ben was looking properly disheveled in his suit, and Kevin…well, it was kind of weird to see Kevin in priest garb, no matter how many tears there were.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're all set to scare Bellwood!" Evan announced jumping out of his seat. He handed a Bible to Kevin, who took it gingerly. "A found some quotes you could use so you could get into character."

Kevin opened the good book and turned to a dog-eared page. "Thanks."

"So what exactly are we doing with this?" Gwen questioned crossing her arms.

Carter gave her a devious little smile. "Oh, you'll see. But first everyone smear this fake blood all over your faces." She held up a small plastic tub of the stuff.

* * *

><p><strong>About an hour later<strong>

Gwen stumbled over her high heels, running as fast as she could down the sidewalk. She could hear Carter running after her and could vaguely hear the swinging "axe" she was swishing through the air. Kevin was behind her, holding the large Bible under his arm. Gwen bit her "bloody" lip to keep from laughing. What they were doing was mean-spirited, sure, but damned if it wasn't funny.

She could see the convenience store lights up ahead. She threw up a hand, signaling for Carter and Kevin to slow down and for the others to get into position. She could vaguely make out Ben with the video camera, capturing everything.

Someone was coming out of the store, a male in his teen years. She forced out a yelp and stumbled up to him. "Run away!" she cried out.

The boy started and looked at her, confused. "Whaaa-?"

Carter gave an animalistic snarl and stalked closer to them, swinging her bloody axe. Since the boy had no idea that the weapon was fake, his eyes widened and he gave a girlish shriek. His plastic bag fell to the ground as he stood rooted to the ground.

And then Kevin ran up, holding the good book and a vial of "holy water," flinging droplets everywhere. He began to say in a deep, rumbling voice:

"**Most glorious Prince of the Heavenly Armies, ****Saint Michael the Archangel…"**

Suddenly Carter began attacking Kevin, swinging her axe like a crazy person. Kevin dodged and went towards the teen rooted to the scene.

**"Defend us in our battle against principalities and ****powers, ****against the rulers of this world of darkness, ****against the spirits of wickedness in the high places."**

The teen was slowly stirring awake, now aware that a crazy bride was attacking a priest. And that the two were running towards _him_.

Kevin had skipped through the sermon-no one knew if he was allowed to do that:

"**God arises; ****His enemies are scattered ****and those who hate Him flee before Him.****"**

Carter had slowed down, slowly swinging her axe in front of her. Kevin had nearly flung the vial of holy water at her, but it was having no effect on her. The teen was practically clutching Gwen, looking ready to faint.

"**As smoke is driven away, ****so are they driven; ****as wax melts before the fire, ****so the wicked perish at the presence of God.****"**

Carter was upon them now, baring her white teeth, clashing with the red smeared at her mouth. She lifted the axe-the boy screamed-Gwen smiled-

"Gotcha!" the three pranksters said, breaking out into smiles. The boy who was almost at a dead faint suddenly looked up.

"E…Excuse me?"

Ben chose that moment to walk up with the video camera. "Congratulations; you're going to be famous on the Internet." With that everyone walked away, chattering happily as they left the poor sap alone.

They stopped about a block away, where Kevin had parked the car. Evan was leaning against the hood, looking out of place in his suit. "Nice performance," he said. He nodded his head down the street; it seemed that he had a pretty decent view of the spectacle.

"Whose turn is it next time?" Gwen asked as she took off her heels.

Sam opened the car door. "My turn."

"Then mine," Evan piped up.

"Then mine," Ben said. He and his doppelganger gave a fist bump.

Suddenly something inside Kevin's car beeped. He instantly went to it, leaving the others to fend for themselves. Coincidentally-or not- Evan's phone rang.

"Hello?" Evan answered as Kevin took his own call.

"We're moving the key. We need the Pride at HQ stat." Cordelia ended the call before Evan could get a word in edgewise. He looked at the others sheepishly.

"Yeah, we need to go," he said. The others looked at him.

"Cordelia needs us," Sam explained.

Evan nodded. "We're apparently moving the key."

Carter and Sam groaned audibly when Kevin came back out. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"We have a job," Evan said.

"So do we." Kevin turned to Ben. "Someone wants to meet you."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Me? Right now?"

"Smells like a trap," Carter deadpanned.

"We should probably check it out anyway." Ben picked at his destroyed suit. "What do we do with this?"

"Well, I want to continue, but I'm guessing after tonight it won't be as fun anymore," Carter admitted. "This sucks, because I put a lot of effort into destroying this dress."

"Where'd you get that anyway?" Gwen asked curiously.

"A few years back Cordelia dressed up as this vampire bride for Halloween," she explained. "She let me have the dress."

"Does she know you destroyed it?"

"What she doesn't know won't hurt me."

* * *

><p><strong>Later<strong>

Slayer Headquarters was underground and looked suspiciously like the Bat Cave, only a hundred times larger. There were rows and rows of computers along the walls of the cavern, all connected to a single supercomputer. People in suits were milling about, completely unconcerned with the stalactites above them.

The Pride, now garbed in full Slayer gear, waited for Cordelia to show up. They stayed to the sidelines, backs to the walls, hands behind their backs in their usual waiting stance. They watched the computers flicker as geniuses switched past camera after camera, watching the entire world at once.

Finally Isaac showed up, walking briskly past them. "Follow me," he said. The Pride immediately did so, slowing their pace so that they were always behind him.

They walked past the computers and down one of the many tunnels of the hive. Lamps were attached to the ceiling, but they only lit up the center of the tunnel. The sides were still dank. The Pride went in single file to avoid the damp.

Finally, after a long stretch of time, Isaac came upon an elevator inside the tunnel wall. It was old fashioned looking and fancy, like something out of a five-star hotel in the early 20th century. With a wave of his wave the doors slid open without a protest. Isaac stepped in with the Pride walking in after him. With another wave of his hand Isaac forced the doors shut. With a hiss they closed.

And then Isaac took his cane and slammed the butt against the metal floor. Instantly they all moved sideways, the metal frame of the elevator scraping against the sides of the outside. Sparks were flying, the lights inside flickering madly. The Pride held onto the sides for safe keeping, but there was no bar there because the early 20th century didn't particularly care for safety. They were going fast, too fast, they should have died from this speed, why weren't they squished together at the end of the box, nothing made sense.

And suddenly, it ended. The momentum should have killed them, forced them to splatter against the left side of the elevator. But no, the doors slid open with a soft hiss, and Isaac stepped out looking as calm as ever. The Pride fell out of the elevator, their legs refusing to work.

Isaac scoffed. "Amateurs." That set them off. The Pride quickly got their bearings and stood to attention.

"Your orders?" Evan asked sternly.

Isaac gestured in front of them, where the oscillator key was. It was inside another huge cavern, only this one was mainly empty except for the key and the people walking purposefully around it. Even then the key was dwarfed by the sheer size of the cave.

"You along with a few select others will guard the oscillator key until pick up," Isaac told them, all business. "At that point we will send it to Galvan Prime so Azmuth can take a look at it. We've already told him that we plan on tampering with it in the likely case the High Breed get it back. He took it fairly well."

"What do you mean likely?" Carter interrupted him. She knew she shouldn't have, but this time had to be an exception. "There's no way the High Breed can find us."

"Unfortunately DNAlien intelligence is on par with ours," Isaac said gravely. "They may have already found our headquarters and are on their way as we speak."

"That's impossible," Sam said breathlessly.

"Oh, it's very possible," he insisted. A few engineers behind him began their work on the oscillator key. "And right now we have to be ready for any possibility. Don't let me down." With that he left them to go to the other side of the room.

The Pride looked at each other. They were giving each other shocked and horrified looks, but they couldn't really tell through the masks. The only thing they could see was the undiluted fear in each other's eyes. No one had ever found Slayer HQ, much less broke into it. _No one_. This was the Slayer's safest haven, their refuge. And now aliens were going to barge into it, destroying the place.

If that happened…

The engineers who were tampering with the key worked slowly but surely. They must not have known that someone was about to break into their domain and take the hyperspace key. Though everything changed when the lights in the cavern flashed an ominous red. Isaac was instantly next to the Pride.

"We've been breached," Isaac revealed. The Pride practically keeled over with the news. "Oh don't look so surprised," he said flippantly. "It's not like HQ hasn't been broken into before."

The Pride started. "What?!" they shouted in unison.

Isaac shrugged. "The Romans found it once, the Trojans found it twice, and the Spartan army practically blew it up at one point. Now _that_ was a weird night," he added as an afterthought.

"Yeah, but that was all before Christ," Sam pointed out. "When did HQ get broken into recently?"

"World War II, when the US government and British parliament demanded that they use our radar systems to find the German _blitzkrieg_," Isaac quickly explained. "Though they only saw what was in D.C. They never did find the other branches."

"I thought there were only three," Evan said incredulously.

"Evan, you should know by now that we're everywhere," Isaac said sardonically. Suddenly a young man appeared beside him. "Status report," he said back to business.

"Sir." The young man took out the papers and quickly scanned them. "The DNAliens have breached the outer security system. First defense has dispatched of sixty percent of their forces, but the rest got in. We have word that their bringing reinforcements."

"Anything else?"

"The rogue forty percent are currently lined up to be dispatched by the second defense," the agent said. "They're currently inside a few select tunnels. Permission to blow them up?"

"Make sure the blasts are nowhere near the rest of HQ when you detonate the bombs."

"Yes sir. One more thing: the DNAliens have three large white aliens with them. We believe them to be the commanding officers of the enemy troops."

Isaac raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure there were three of them?"

The young man nodded. "Yes."

"Kill them like the others. Show no mercy."

"Yes sir." The young man went away to check on the engineers, who were already back to work despite the red gloom.

"Three High Breeds?" Sam gave a low whistle. "They're not messing around this time."

"When do they ever?" Evan pointed out.

"Isaac, you know the humans under DNAlien control are fighting the Xenocyte overwrite," Carter said. "Are you sure this is the best way to go?"

"Carter, this oscillator key is the key to ending the High Breed invasion," Isaac said gravely. "This is bigger than you, than me, than all of us. We need to make sacrifices. And if you recall we only have one man who completely freed himself from the mind control. Unless we have more proof that this is happening to everyone under the Xenocyte control, we take them all out, no exceptions."

"…Understood." She backed down, not only because her grandfather made a very good point, but also because the situation was too dire to continue arguing.

The engineers continued their work as the lights slowly went back to normal. For a second the Pride calmed down. Yes, they were under attack, but the second defense would certainly hold. There was no way the DNAliens would have found any other tunnel down here. There were simply too many of them. The DNAliens would have died down in the tunnels before they found the base.

Except-

The engineers began to patch up the key. Isaac went over them; he and one of the workers got into a heated discussion. With a shake of his head Isaac went over to the Pride.

"The oscillator key is too advanced even for us," he said, obviously miffed. "We'll have to take it to Azmuth to really break it from the inside."

"Isaac, I just thought of something," Sam said suddenly, making them all look at her. "If the DNAliens found a way to the oscillator key, why couldn't they have found another way down here?"

Isaac pondered that for a moment before saying, "Well, they would have to have an extremely good sense of direction. These tunnels go on for miles underground with very little life in them. The DNAliens would have eventually gone mad from being down here. It wouldn't even matter if they were down here for a few days or weeks. They would have been at each other's throats before long."

"But the DNAliens are completely loyal to the High Breed," Sam pointed out. "They would have followed their orders to the last breath. And there are millions of DNAliens out there with control over a seriously powerful intelligence system. Who's to say they haven't been searching for us right under our noses?"

Isaac started, eyes wide. "But they couldn't. _That's impossible_."

"Isaac, I think they did," Carter said with dawning horror. The Slayer intelligence system wasn't up to snuff. It wasn't as amazing as they were all led to believe. All the surveillance in the world didn't help them with the DNAliens.

"We're screwed," Evan said horrified.

And then the DNAliens burst through the doorways and attacked.

There were hundreds of them, all hissing and screaming. The first defense, the second defense, not even the bombs did anything to decrease their numbers. The reinforcements must have come in fast.

Everyone in the cavern got to fighting. The engineers used their tools to bash brains in. The agents stationed there summoned AK-47s and Tommy guns and other weapons of mass destruction to weed out the mess. The Pride was instantly upon them, using their favorite weapons to cut and shoot through alien bodies. Even Isaac was fighting, splitting himself into five people and using his wizard powers against them.

Three of the Isaacs circled around a large group of DNAliens and turned their canes into wizard staffs. _**"Cremasses damnati!" **_he cried, incinerating the DNAliens into dust. The three Isaacs ran with the remaining two to protect the oscillator key.

Suddenly DNAliens started falling through the floor as holes in the ground swallowed them up. The circles then closed, leaving the victims left inside to asphyxiate. Carter turned around to see Evan weave through the enemy army, using quick hand and feet motions to capture different parts of the forces. To combat the ones in front of him, he just punched them in the tentacles.

Carter was using her powers to slice at the enemy, making blood spill so she could use it later as a weapon. The sharp edges of the icicles encircling her fingers glared a deep crimson as she stabbed an alien through the heart. She whirled around in time to grab the throat of another DNAlien and break its neck.

Suddenly arms encircled her, lifting her high off the ground. She flayed her legs, hitting a few aliens in the face before one got its claws in her throat. Searing pain flashed over her neck-she tried to scream, but the claw was slicing at her fragile vocal cords, she could feel the hot blood cascading down her chest, she couldn't scream, she couldn't even whimper, it was too painful OH GOD MAKE IT STOP-

The DNAlien tore its claw out. The other alien let her go. She fell to the ground not moving.

Evan continued to attack using his earth powers, swallowing up DNAliens sporadically. He fell back, stamping his foot and lifting a boulder-sized chunk out of the ground. He hurled it to the middle of the fray, squashing many an enemy alien.

Just when he was about to attack again he felt the cool metal of a gun barrel against his head. He smirked; it was ironic, how he was possibly facing his end by a gunshot. Evan straightened his back and put his hands up.

He whirled around, sweeping the floor with his feet and tripping the DNAlien. He heard hissing behind him-he turned around-there a flash-

Evan fell to the floor writhing in pain, tears welling up in his eyes. Blood welled up at the hole in his leg. A DNAlien was standing before him, a laser gun in his hands.

Sam was gutting a DNAlien when she saw Isaac fight the three High Breeds. He was bellowing out incantations, sending fire and ice and other spells, using all five forms at once. The High Breed certainly had their hands full, but then Sam saw a few DNAliens drag the oscillator key away. The five Isaacs and the engineers couldn't do a thing to stop them.

Sam was having none of that. She made her way over when she heard Evan cry out. She saw him stumble to the floor, his leg bleeding profusely. A DNAlien with a laser gun stood before him. Sam immediately abandoned the key to help him.

And then she saw her, Carter's form lying on the ground. Why was she like that? She should have been fighting, helping Isaac. She'd never get herself too injured to warrant rest during a mission. And then she saw the pool of blood accumulating around Carter's head.

And Sam began to see fire.

It was like a burst of heat and light that resonated through the cavern. Everyone had to stop what they were doing, it was so blinding. But then they all began to move when they felt the intense flames circling around the goddess.

She looked human enough, and athletic. Her deep red toga had slits up both sides, revealing legs with weapons strapped to them. On her sleeveless arms were scars of past battles, proudly shown off. Her face was sharp and with a permanently irritated look on it. But most strikingly was her flaming hair, going down to her waist and writhing as if alive.

But the irritated look on Kirche's face had been turned into one of intense hatred. She took the twin daggers strapped to her thighs and with a ferocious cry threw them both at the enemy. Two streaks of fire followed the blades and when they finally stabbed two of the enemy a bonfire erupted in the cavern.

DNAliens all around the room were running around on fire. They screamed as their flesh burned from their bones, their bones turning into ash and finally crumbling to the ground. It was happening too fast, the screaming and the sickly sweet smell of burning corpses wafting over them and disappearing. And finally they were all gone, DNAlien and High Breed, the fire disappearing with them.

Kirche turned to Isaac, who had shifted from five to one in the blaze. Smoke curled around them all, but the Slayers were all unaffected. The engineers had cuts and bruises but were largely okay. Only the Pride had any grievous injuries.

"What about the key?" Kirche's grizzled voice rang through the cavern. Isaac slowly shook his head. Kirche looked past him to where the hyperspace key once was. It was gone; somehow the High Breed got away with it.

"What about our defenses? How many men do we have left?" Kirche demanded to know, sounding like an experienced war general.

"Only twenty percent of the guards are strong enough to continue fighting," Isaac said, completely defeated.

Kirche took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "We lost then." She suddenly burst in a flash of light, and the goddess turned back into Sam. The girl slumped forward, unconscious. Isaac caught her before she fell.

He could feel the tears even through his jacket.

* * *

><p><em>The reason why Sam turned goddess when she saw Carter was because a normal person can survive being shot. As long as the victim doesn't go into shock they can survive a bullet to the head or heart. But if the victim got hurt in the throat, be it bullet or not, the chances of them surviving are slim if they don't get immediate medical attention. So yeah, Sam has a good reason. <em>

_So, thoughts anyone?_


	54. Bloody Bandages

Chapter 54: Bloody Bandages

_I kind of wished that I didn't have to skip the Simian episode because there's this one scene that just makes me laugh every time I see it. After Kevin takes out those robots at the station, he checks in with Ben to tell him he's okay. Since Ben can't answer, Kevin just starts chewing bubblegum. I kind of expected him to get out a cigarette or do something manly, so I always laugh when I see that. XD_

_On with the chapter!_

* * *

><p>While Isaac and the Pride were trying to protect the key, Cordelia had been helping Tyler locate his family. He had been missing for months, presumed dead by the Evansdale authorities. His family had just about given up hope of him ever coming back.<p>

And then he showed up on his parents doorsteps, smiling. He had bags under his eyes and he was much thinner than they remembered, but he was their son and he was alive. Cordelia had to hang back while Tyler and his parents reunited.

When the emotions died down somewhat Cordelia had walked up and explained the situation, taking out any instances of alien invasions and anything else that could be considered otherworldly. It went without saying that Tyler could never talk to his folks about the last few months-not without lying anyway- so Cordelia had him set up with a therapist she knew so he could hash everything out.

She had left Tyler and his parents feeling somewhat happy. The young adult could get his life back together and not worry about the invasion. The Slayers were already on it. But Cordelia's happy mood went dangerously south when Isaac told her the news.

By the time the call ended, she was speeding out of Evansdale and heading straight for the Valentine Hospital.

* * *

><p>Sam was unconscious, lying on a stretcher in the cavern. Unlike Evan, she couldn't smell the sickly sweet stench of burnt corpses or see the scorch marks she inflicted all over the stone floor. She wouldn't even wake up for quite some time.<p>

Evan hobbled over to the other stretcher, using his crutches. His wounded leg had been bandaged and the painkillers still hadn't kicked in, so every step Evan was forced to take sent a jolt of agony through his body. Nevertheless he made his way over to Isaac, who was kneeling over his granddaughter's body.

Isaac had removed Carter's mask, revealing the sweaty, translucent skin underneath. Her breathing was ragged, every inhale a laborious task. She had a single glowing hand over her neck, right where the wound was.

"Can she even heal herself like that?" Evan asked when he finally made his way over. His voice was tiny in the gloom.

"She's certainly trying to," Isaac told him without looking up. He gingerly took Carter's hand and removed it from her neck. She gave a whimper but didn't open her eyes or say anything.

Evan recoiled at the sight. Her neck looked like it had been cut into ribbons and sewn back together by a madman. Pink muscle showed through the damage, and blood oozed out of the wounds.

Isaac sighed in relief. "Good; Carter fixed the worst of it." Evan stared at him. While he agreed that that was a good thing overall, the girl's ripped apart throat still looked worse for wear.

"Is she going to need surgery?" Evan dared to ask, the words heavy in the air.

Isaac sighed. "I don't think so, but there's no way the healing pods can fix this. We may have to use other methods."

"What other methods do we have?"

"Lots, but we never use them unless it's an extreme case," Isaac said. He put Carter's hand back on her throat. It immediately began to glow. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that." He finally looked up and started barking orders at the paramedics who were finishing up down there.

"Bring a teleporter pad quickly! We may not have enough time!" A few people did just that after they finished up patching up the engineers.

Evan let go a giant breath of air, his shoulders sagging. He stared dully at Carter, who was still breathing heavily as she tried to heal herself. He then took a look where the oscillator key once was.

The DNAliens had found their haven, their impenetrable domain. And they found it right under their noses. The Slayers weren't as perfect as they thought they were. It was an incredibly depressing thought, especially after all the damage inflicted.

The key was gone. The engineers were injured. Sam was unconscious. Evan had a hurt leg. And Carter was barely hanging in there.

Evan had to wonder: would things have turned out differently if Ben were here?

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile...<strong>

_**So Ben, what have we learned? **_Ventus drawled inside the teen's head.

_Don't trust people at face value, no matter how plausible their story may sound._

_**And always check your facts. Seriously, this entire moon mission could have been avoided if you'd just looked up the Arachna royal line.**_

Ben groaned inwardly. _I know, I know. I'm just glad things turned out for the best. _Ventus didn't have a response to that. _V? You there?_

_**You need to go to the hospital tomorrow, **_Ventus said seriously. It was so far removed from his usual facetious manner that Ben had to sit up in his bed and take more interest in the conversation.

_Why? Who's injured?_

_**Who isn't injured? **_If the god could roll his eyes, he would. _**Bring Gwen and Kevin to the Valentine Hospital tomorrow after school. Whatever the Pride did on their last mission left them seriously injured.**_

_But they're going to be okay, right? _Ben asked hopefully. _Right?_

…_**I don't know a lot right now. I'll tell you when I know more.**_

Ben blinked and immediately went to his phone, speed dialing Carter's number. It went straight to voicemail. He then called Evan and Sam, but their phones were off too.

What the hell was going on?

* * *

><p><strong>The next day, after school<strong>

"What do you mean none of them were at school?" Gwen asked as they walked into the hospital.

"I mean none of them were in school," Ben parroted back irritably. "They wouldn't answer their phones either."

"This isn't like that Beck thing is it?" Kevin asked as they made their way over to the receptionist.

"Man I hope not," Ben muttered under his breath. To the receptionist, he said, "Hi, we're looking for Carter Valentine."

The receptionist quickly typed in the name. "I'm sorry he's not able to see visitors right now."

"Uh, Carter's a girl," Kevin corrected her.

She blinked. "Oh. Well, she can't see anybody."

"How about Evan Force?" Ben asked.

The receptionist typed in the name and scanned the screen. "You can visit him in room 725 on the fifth floor. Here are your visitor passes and the elevator is just to your left."

After taking the passes and going up the crowded elevator, they walked down the hall to see Sam right in front of room 725, holding cups of coffee in her hands.

She wasn't dressed like she usually was, instead opting for a red hoodie and jeans and old sneakers. Her skin was pasty, and she looked like she hadn't slept in a few days. But what was most concerning was that her hair didn't have the usual vibrant red, orange, and yellow colors that were associated with the DuBaer clan. Instead it was a dull, lifeless brown, like all the life had been sucked out of it.

"Sam?" Gwen asked tentatively, walking up to her. Sam turned to them, her copper brown eyes darker than usual. She cracked a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Figured you find us here," she said. "Come on in." She pushed the door open-it had been left slightly ajar-leading them all inside the room. It was pretty nice for a hospital room: there was a bookshelf with actual books and a small TV on one of the shelves, the walls were a mellow blue color, and there was a big window with a nice view of town at the end of the room.

Evan was propped up on the bed, reading a book. His bandaged leg was out for all to see, and crutches were leaning against the bed frame. He was wearing a sleeveless green shirt and cargo shorts and his hair was out of its signature ponytail, hanging loose past his shoulders. Like Sam his skin was pasty and he looked like he hadn't slept recently.

Evan closed his book and gave them a smile. "Sup!" And again, like Sam, his forest green eyes were dull and lifeless. There wasn't a hint of his usual good humor in them.

"Just what happened last night?" Gwen asked looking at Evan's wounded leg.

"It was pretty crazy," Sam said lightly giving Evan his coffee. "But first tell us about your mission last night. Who wanted to meet you?"

"It was a set up from some DNAliens," Ben said flippantly.

"And we got saved from what Ben here thought was an Arachnichimp prince," Kevin said, giving the younger boy a look.

Sam raised an eyebrow as she sat down on Evan's bed. "Didn't you ask for proof?"

"…No," Ben admitted.

Evan set down his cup and face palmed. "Dude, seriously, check your facts. It would have saved you a lot of time."

"What did he want anyway?" Sam asked curiously.

"He wanted to steal a crystal that he said was the symbol of his monarchy," he explained. "Turns out it was the power source for the communications center on the moon."

"You mean the only one Earth has," Evan stated.

"If that gets taken out, Earth can't ask for help when the High Breed invade," Sam pointed out putting her drink away.

Ben made a dismissive motion with his hand. "Don't worry; I tricked him into taking an acid dispenser. The crystal's back on the moon where it should be."

"And the entire mess could have been avoided if you just checked the monarchy on Arachna," Evan muttered.

"I messed up, I get it!" Ben said exasperatedly. "The point is I fixed it and stopped the bad guy before he could doom Earth. Now, are you going to tell us what happened last night?"

Evan and Sam looked at each other before holding hands. And then they stared at Ben fearfully, like they were afraid of his reaction. That worried-no, scared him. Ben wasn't someone who would get angry without good reason. Just happened to them last night?

"We were supposed to move the oscillator key off planet last night," Sam said finally. "Isaac told Azmuth what was going on so we were going to give it to him for safe keeping."

"He also told him that we'd tamper with it so in the likely event the High Breed stole it back they'd have a hard time using it," Evan said. "It's not much, but it might buy us some time."

"Smart," Kevin congratulated him.

"What do you mean, in the likely event?" Gwen questioned, her eyes widening.

Evan and Sam's hands tightened around each other, their knuckles turning white. "They found our headquarters," Sam spat out.

"O…kay?" Kevin said slowly, not getting it.

"Slayer HQ is hundreds of feet underground with thousands of tunnels leading to and away from it," Evan explained. "You'd either die or go mad before you found it. And the last time someone found our headquarters was back during World War II, and the American government basically just bullied their way into the Washington branch."

"But the DNAliens found the Bellwood branch," Sam said sullenly. "And they did it right under our noses. They were searching for weeks and no one knew," she added with a hiss. The others looked at each other.

"So they found where you hid the oscillator key," Ben stated. "And?"

Evan and Sam looked at each other before looking back at him. "They wiped out eighty percent of our defenses before taking it," Sam stated.

"Eighty percent?" Ben repeated as everyone's eyes widened in horror.

"I took out the ones in the cavern where we hid the key, but in the end it was too late." Sam closed her eyes and turned her head away, disgusted with herself.

"Don't put yourself down," Evan told her soothingly. "You obliterated a good chunk of their defenses. And you did it as Kirche, that's always a plus."

"Kirche?" Gwen had to ask.

"The goddess inside her head," Ben quickly explained. He turned back to Sam. "You _obliterated_ them?"

"When Kirche takes over, I have no control over what she does," Sam hurriedly explained. "And when she's angry, there's no reasoning with her. And there was no way to talk to her after what they did to…" she trailed off, her voice failing her.

They all turned to Evan, hoping for an explanation. He looked at them with the saddest expression on his face. "They injured most of our men. The only ones without any physical injuries were Sam and Isaac."

"But your fine," Gwen pointed out suddenly. "Sure, you need crutches, but it's only a minor wound, right?"

"They shot my leg, Gwen," Evan said seriously. "They almost hit a bone. I was lucky that I twisted my leg before they could do any further damage. And I'm lucky that I can leave the hospital in a few hours."

"What about Carter?" Ben asked. "They said she couldn't see anybody, but it can't be that bad."

Evan and Sam wouldn't look at him.

"Guys?"

Evan closed his eyes. Sam pulled him in for a hug. Her bottom lip trembled.

"Answer me!"

"They tore her throat out."

Five words left Evan's mouth. It took only five words to devastate the greatest heroes in the universe.

"They cut the skin to shreds," Evan continued in a monotone. "She healed the worst of the damage herself, but we haven't been able to see her. We don't know if the surgery was enough."

It took a while for Kevin to form the words. "What do you mean?"

"They didn't get her vocal cords, so she should be able to talk," Sam said in a small voice. "But there's probably going to be some heavy muscle scarring and she lost so much blood…"

Ben couldn't hear anything, not the sounds of the people milling in the hallway, not the last of Sam's words, not even his cousin saying his name in a horrified whisper. It was as if his head was underwater, muffling everything.

"What room is she in?" he finally said sharply.

"They wouldn't tell us," Evan answered. Ben made his way for the door. Kevin put a hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down, Ben."

"Let go Kevin!"

"Not until you calm down!"

His eyes flashed blue, his teeth turned into needle sharp fangs; he quickly turned his head around-

The door opened and Cordelia walked in. She was dressed in her standard black suit with her lab coat around her shoulders. In her hand was a clipboard; the first page had her granddaughter's name on it.

Ben calmed down long enough for his eyes to turn green. "How is she?"

Cordelia closed the door and said, "You should really check out your eyes. It's a pretty weird look for you."

Kevin turned Ben around so he could see the thin slash marks that were his pupils. He grimaced and let go of Ben just as they started to turn round again.

"Oh, and Carter's fine," Cordelia finally said. Everyone let out a breath. "But only family can see her."

"What?" Sam squawked.

Cordelia held up a hand. "Carter's still weak from the surgery and she's on some pretty strong medication. She's in no condition to see you."

"When can we see her?" Ben asked hopefully.

"We'll call you when she's ready."

"Cordelia, what exactly did you do to her?" Evan asked suddenly. Everyone looked at him. "Isaac told me last night you might need to use extreme measures because the healing pods wouldn't work on her."

"Luckily we didn't really have to use other measures," Cordelia said. "Carter actually did most of the work for us. Tissue scarring is minimal, and the most we had to do was stitch the skin back together and do a blood transfusion. Any visible scarring should be fixable in the healing pods." She put a hand on Ben's head and patted it. "She'll be fine," she repeated.

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Gwen asked suddenly. "Like how your headquarters is doing or what you're going to do now that the key is back with the High Breed."

"I'll tell you later when I'm less busy," Cordelia told her primly. She gave a soft smile and pointed to the bed. "Besides, I don't want to wake our two Sleeping Beauties." Everyone turned around to see Evan and Sam asleep, Evan with his head thrown back against the pillows and Sam curled up at the end of the bed.

"Come on, you should leave," Cordelia said ushering them out of the room. "And no Ben, I'm not going to tell you what room Carter's in."

Ben's face flushed. "I wasn't going to ask that!"

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day<strong>

"So, of course, you're going to ask me to hack the files," Gwen asked sardonically over the phone.

"I wouldn't be asking you this unless I had to," Ben said as he went through the secondhand store. He quickly went past the clothes racks and went to the side where all the old jewelry was.

"You know, you could ask Evan and Sam later. I'm sure they'll find out eventually," Gwen reasoned.

"You saw them earlier. They're going to be asleep for hours. I need to know now."

"Okay, okay," Gwen said in defeat. Ben could hear typing on the other line. "She's in room 832 on the sixth floor."

"Just how many rooms are there in that hospital?"

"Around a thousand. Is that all you needed?"

"Yes, you're a lifesaver, Gwen." Ben quickly disconnected the call and went further in his search. He already had one shopping bag in his hand; he just needed to buy one more thing before his plan could start. But he'd been in three stores already, he was tired and his parents were expecting him home soon. He really, really didn't want to go home defeated, but at this rate…

Finally, he saw it. Ben quickly snatched it off the jewelry rack and held it closer for inspection. It was a thick choker that looked almost like a belt. It was black and leathery with a single buckle clasp. He held it close to his own throat and figured that it would hide most of his neck.

Ben smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>11:00 PM<strong>

Carter turned on the lamp next to her bed. She closed her eyes and waited for the searing pain to diminish. She then slowly blinked her eyes open.

Her hospital room looked different than in the morning. There wasn't a window, so it was like she was in a tiny blue box. No doubt Evan had been in a room nearly identical to hers earlier. According to Cordelia, Evan had received a nasty gunshot wound to the leg and had to stay overnight. He and Sam were at their homes now, or they should be. Carter had still been hopped up on painkillers when she received the news, so she couldn't be sure.

With a heavy arm Carter grabbed the water bottle on the stand next to her and downed half of it. It was difficult thanks to the bandages around her neck; they itched and dug into her skin, making it raw. And with each gulp of water she could feel the stitches stretching. God, she couldn't wait until they were out!

Carter grimaced as she got out her phone. It was roughly eleven at night and she couldn't fall asleep. She didn't have any books to keep her occupied; she could turn on the TV, but there would be nothing decent on at this time of night. If there was, no doubt the hospital wouldn't have that program.

Carter went through the pictures on her phone since she had nothing better to do. She had taken quite a few recently: there was the evidence of Big Chill's destruction at the Burger Boy restaurant while he was pregnant; there were photos of Kevin acting like his car was his child; there were photos of Sam, Gwen, and Evan splayed over on the couch or hanging out somewhere in Ben's house; and there were quite a few pictures of Ben napping on Carter's couch with his hair stuck on end and his mouth parted open slightly. Those pictures she secretly claimed she had taken for blackmail purposes, but in reality she took them because she thought Ben looked adorable.

There was a sudden dripping sound in her hospital room. Carter snapped her phone shut (she _really_ didn't want other people to see her photo collection) and looked at the air vent close to her bed. Something was oozing out of it, dripping slowly to the floor. Even though she felt incredibly sluggish Carter willed ice to form around her fingers to create sharp claws. She slowly got out of bed, her bones creaking in protest, her bare feet touching the cold floor.

The drippy thing that forced itself out of the air vent was completely in her room now. By the lamp's light Carter could make out its acidic green color. The glob slowly moved upwards, forming a humanoid shape. A familiar UFO-like device hovered above the mess.

"Nice pajamas," Goop said teasingly. Carter gave an annoyed sigh and forced the ice claws away, crossing her arms over her chest. Cordelia and Isaac had allowed her to wear the clothing she wore to bed, so instead of a skimpy hospital gown she was wearing cotton black pants that reached to her ankles and a long sleeved button up black shirt with a gravestone print on both pieces. They were fairly old and childish; they weren't exactly something she wanted friends to see her wear.

Goop quickly turned back into Ben. He held up a shopping bag and said, "I figured you'd be feeling awful so I-GAH!" He suddenly jumped back, recoiling at the sight of her bedraggled state. "You look horrible," he added tactlessly.

Carter glared at him. "I was just in surgery. How did you think I was going to look?" Her voice came out small and hoarse, the stitching on her neck protesting against the sudden movement. The bandages were scratching her as well, making the experience of simply breathing irritating.

"I figured you'd look bad, but not that bad," Ben said quickly, digging himself deeper. Carter rolled her eyes and marched to the bathroom. The second she turned on the light and looked in the mirror, she gave a gasp of fright and visibly winced.

She looked half-dead. Her normally pale skin had a grayish tint to it. Her black hair was rat's nest. Her eyes looked dull and lifeless and seemed too big for her face. The bandages around her neck made her look like a Dracula victim after the king of vampires himself tore her throat out and left her for dead.

Phantom pains suddenly sprang out from the wound. She could feel sharp claws tearing through the soft flesh of her neck, stabbing through the pink muscles on the inside, and cutting around her vocal cords. She could feel the monsters leaving her for dead, the pain blinding her vision, her blood stretching out across the cavern floor…

Carter quickly splashed water on her face and blinked. She turned off the faucet and looked at herself in the mirror. She still looked like a dead person, only this time wet. With a grimace she dried herself off and left the bathroom, flicking off the light.

She staggered out and said, "I see what you mean." Ben, apparently deciding to get over the initial shock, handed her the shopping bag.

"I thought about getting you flowers, but then your grandparents would know someone visited you when you weren't supposed to have visitors, so I got you something you can hide under your pillow in a moment's notice," Ben rambled, trying to gauge Carter's reaction.

Carter took her hand out of the bag to reveal the stuffed animal he got her. It was a black cat with beady red eyes and a black vampire cape tied to its neck. White fangs protruded out of its mouth, the tips of which were painted blood red.

"It's so cute!" Carter gushed, immediately cuddling it. "I will love you and pet you and call you Count Fluffula!" Ben gave an audible snort. She looked up, her cheeks suddenly red.

"There's one more thing in there," Ben suddenly said. Carter obediently went to fishing it out. "Cordelia said that any lingering scars would fade in the healing pods, but I figured that just in case you should have something to hide them."

Carter got out the simple black choker with the buckle and looked at Ben. With an arched eyebrow she asked, "You got me a collar?"

Ben stared at her, then at the collar, and then he started spluttering. "No, that's not what I meant! It's supposed to be a choker!"

Carter's mouth stretched into a smirk. "I know, Tennyson." Her face suddenly grew solemn. "Why did you really give these?"

Ben looked at her incredulously. "Because you were injured and this is what boyfriends do."

"But there's more to it than that."

"There isn't-!"

"I know you, Ben," Carter told him. "Now tell me what's really bothering you."

Ben gave her a look before sighing. "Do you know what I was doing while you were…?" He gestured to her neck.

"No, what were you doing?"

"I was helping this Arachnichimp prince," he said bitterly. "Only he wasn't really a prince, just some thief working for the High Breed. And no, I didn't check my facts or look up the royal line of Arachna," he added quickly. "I just took the guy's story at face value and believed him."

Carter thought for a moment. "He was really a thief right? What did he try to steal?"

"The High Breed wanted the power source of the moon's communications tower," Ben quickly explained.

"So you stopped the bad guy from taking the power source," Carter said, simplifying it. "That's something you should be congratulating yourself over."

"No it isn't. Well, okay, when you think about it, yeah, but that's not the point." Ben shook his head. "If I didn't take Simian's word for it, I would have stopped him quicker and maybe I could have gone to help you. You wouldn't have gotten hurt, you wouldn't have needed surgery…" he trailed off, not looking at her.

Carter blinked, trying to comprehend everything he said. Her brow furrowed. "Ben, do you know where Slayer HQ is?"

Ben turned his head towards her. "…No."

"Then how would you have found me?"

"Well, I-that is to say…"

"Ben, we didn't contact you _because_ of what happened to me," Carter said. "You're the one who has to lead the charge against the High Breed invasion. You're the one people will remember when all this is over. Everyone else, including me, is expendable. That's just how it is," she added she added a shrug. The bandages made that slightly difficult.

"You're not expendable," Ben insisted. "None of you are."

"Yeah, but no one will bother to remember us after all this is over," Carter said with an eye roll. "And if you get injured in any way before the invasion, the High Breed has a much bigger chance of winning. You're just too important to lose."

"You're important too," Ben said bashfully. "Don't call yourself expendable, okay? 'Cause you're not-!"

Was his voice breaking? Carter couldn't tell because he suddenly turned away again, a hand over his eyes. Wait a minute, was he _crying_? Ben Tennyson didn't cry, he wasn't supposed to. All Carter did was told him the truth. It was supposed to reassure him, remind him that she was fine with getting seriously injured. That was how she'd been trained after all.

He wasn't supposed to get emotional over her. No one was supposed to worry about her. That was just the way it was.

But for some reason, it felt good having someone worry about her. Evan and Sam did, for sure, but that was because they were inseparable. The three of them couldn't live without the others. If Isaac and Cordelia cared about her well-being, they didn't show it much. To see someone else visibly and honestly worried about her was…strange, but in a good way.

Carter quickly wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her face into his back until he stopped shaking. "Thank you for everything," she said quietly into his ear. "And stop beating yourself up. One of the best things I like about you is that you give everybody a chance no matter what. So stop crying, okay? I'll be fine."

She let go of him, letting him turn around. His eyes were unusually bright and his face was screwed up slightly with grief. He quickly hugged her, holding her close, burrowing his face in her hair as he started shaking again. Carter rubbed his back, murmuring quiet reassurances until he could face her.

When he finally looked her straight in the eye, the first thing he said was, "Are you not wearing a bra?"

The solemn moment shattering, Carter's face turned bright red. She gave a shriek and pushed him away, crossing her arms over her chest. Ben staggered back, pressing a hand to his mouth to keep from laughing.

When the nurses dressed Carter in her pajamas, Cordelia had given them explicit instructions not to put a bra on her. They could be uncomfortable, especially if they were on for too long, and since Carter didn't sleep with one on anyway, it was the perfect arrangement. At least until now, when Carter tried hugging Ben. Then it became a mortifying predicament.

Ben stretched his arms out toward her. "I want another hug."

"No!"

"Please?" he pleaded giving her the puppy dog eyes. When that didn't work he grabbed the stuffed cat and held its mouth near his ear. "What's that Count Fluffula? You want Carter to give me another hug? And you want to suck my blood? Well, I can only promise you one of those two things happening." Ben looked at her hopefully.

Carter took a look at the stuffed animal and at the collar-_choker_- in her hand. Ben did come out of his way to buy her those gifts, and he did risk getting caught after hours just to see her…And he nearly cried over her, so another hug like that couldn't hurt.

"…Fine. But only one."

"Yay!" Ben immediately enveloped her in another hug, pressing her hard against him.

"Ben, you're crushing me," Carter said irritated.

"They're so _soft_." He drawled out the last syllable as long as possible.

"Ben, if you don't stop crushing me, I'm going to hit your-"

"You wouldn't."

"I would."

"But they're so-OW! That was my foot!"

"I warned you."

* * *

><p><em>A bit of mood whiplash at the end, but it was a pretty depressing chapter, so I regret nothing.<em>

_So, thoughts anyone?_


	55. A Prelude of Sorts

Chapter 55: A Prelude of Sorts

_YES! I was finally able to add in a Linkin Park song to a chapter! And it only took me fifty-five chapters to do it. I'm so proud of myself. *rolls her eyes* It's called Valentine's Day, by the way._

_Also, I'm quite glad that people responded well to Pervy!Ben. I kind of knew you would. ;) Though there won't be many resurgences in the near future due to plot related reasons._

_As for this chapter, I'm not proud of it. I didn't want to start the next episode after all the drama from last chapter, and this was the result. On the plus side, there are plenty of plot-related tidbits in it. Can you guess where I got the idea from? XD_

* * *

><p>It was a few days later when Carter could officially receive visitors. Sam and Evan immediately skipped class once they heard the news; Ben would have gone with them but they shooed him away, saying that he had to stay in school and learn.<p>

"So do you," he retorted.

Evan gave a flippant wave of his crutch. "We went a much more advanced school than this Tennyson. We've already learned most of this stuff."

"Besides, we need to give Carter her homework," Sam said. "The sooner she has it the better."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "You could still give her that after school. What's really going on?"

Sam sighed. "I'm tired and I want to skip class."

"Same here," Evan said.

"Yeah, you guys are _so_ convincing."

"Oh, shut up," the two of them said in cadence.

The truth, when it came down to it, was that they really missed their Goth friend. The three of them couldn't be called a trio if one of them was missing. And when inseparable friends were suddenly separated, it felt like they had been ripped apart from each other for no good reason.

And then they heard just who was visiting Carter first and, well, long story short: they needed to go to the hospital yesterday.

* * *

><p><strong>After school<strong>

Kevin and Gwen were less than impressed when they heard what Evan and Sam did.

"So they skipped school?" Kevin asked. "Wow, they're _so bad_." He rolled his eyes good naturedly.

Gwen gave him a look. "They shouldn't have skipped at all. They'll get in trouble."

"I don't really think they care Gwen." Ben gave her a sheepish smile as they walked through the halls toward Carter's room. The door was somewhat ajar and they could hear the vague sounds of someone singing with the accompaniment of a guitar.

"_My insides all turned to ash, so slow__  
><em>_And blew away as I collapsed, so cold__  
><em>_A black wind took them away, from sight__  
><em>_And held the darkness over day, that night"_

The voice itself was small and scratchy. Whoever was singing had obviously not practiced in a while, possibly due to illness. It was easy to tell that the singer was good at her job though. She was able to hit the notes without needing to strain her vocal cords too much, wisely opting to sing in a throaty whisper. No one wanted to know how she hit the high notes though.

Ben slowly pushed the door away. The inside of the room was an odd scene: Sam and Newt were off to the side, kneeling on the ground and arm wrestling on the tiny table. Evan was sitting near Carter's bed, playing an acoustic guitar. Carter herself was on the bed, sitting cross legged, her mouth stretched open to sing.

"_And the clouds above move closer__  
><em>_Looking so dissatisfied__  
><em>_But the heartless wind kept blowing, blowing"_

Ben stumbled into the room, tripping over his own feet. The strings on the guitar twanged as Evan stopped. Carter closed her mouth and turned to them. Even Newt and Sam stopped their game and looked up.

Carter grimaced. "You weren't supposed to hear that."

"Why not? You were great!" Gwen gushed. "And you're looking better too."

Indeed she was. Carter had lost the gray skin tone, her skin turning back to its normal pallor. Her hair was clean and brushed, and her eyes had their normal steely glint. Ben was rather sorry to see that she was no longer wearing her funny pajamas with the gravestones. Instead she was wearing purple basketball shorts and a black racer-back shirt. It was as if she was trying to show off the bandages around her neck, or rather, she was making it easier for the nurses to examine her wounds. Either way she wasn't dressed like she was a hospital patient.

In fact, Evan was the only one remotely dressed lazy, wearing the same sleeveless green shirt and khaki shorts. His hair was loose and he was still moving around on crutches. Sam had dressed in her normal black miniskirt and her red halter top and matching knee-high lace-up boots. Her hair was no longer brown, back to its usual red, orange, and yellow hues. Newt was still dressed like a punk, with a ripped up black t-shirt with a skull on the front and white sleeves and ripped jeans with a chain attached to the pocket. He hadn't even bothered to dress up for his cousin.

"You never told us you could sing," Kevin said lightly. Carter's eyes flickered to Ben before going back to Kevin.

"It never came up," Carter told him.

"Well, you're good," he complimented her. He held up the flowers he got her. "These are for you."

Carter smiled and took them. "Thank you."

Evan blinked and looked at the small bouquet in her hands. "You want her beheaded?"

Everyone froze before Kevin sputtered out, "No!"

Carter turned to him. "That's not what lilies mean."

Evan raised an eyebrow. "Really? They why don't people send lilies to sick patients then?"

"Because other flowers look better," Sam pointed out.

"And where did you get beheaded?" Gwen asked. "There are other meanings."

"Lilies have meaning?" Kevin arched an eyebrow.

"There's this whole language of flowers," Gwen said dismissively. "Anyway, lilies mean chastity and virtue, not cutting off people's necks."

"And you would know that how?" Ben had to ask.

"Reading."

"What kind of book is that?" he muttered under his breath.

"Where did you get that anyway?" Kevin asked Evan. The boy with the guitar wouldn't answer. Instead he looked at something very interesting at the far wall.

"…You got it from _Detective Conan_, didn't you?" Newt said slowly. Evan stared even harder at the far wall. Everyone face palmed.

Carter rolled her eyes. "Idiot."

"So when are you getting out?" Ben asked suddenly, trying to steer the conversation somewhere else.

Carter happily leaped on it. "If all goes well, by the end of the week."

"You're going to have so much homework," Sam teased. Carter groaned and eyed the backpack leaning against the bed. She kicked it sending the entire thing headfirst onto the floor.

"Go away," she moaned, burying her face in her hands.

"No! The evil homework monster is going to haunt you forever!" Newt said in a spooky voice, his voice trembling up and down, his shoulders hunched, his fingers curled into claws. Carter threw her pillow at him.

"So, has there been anything else on the alien front?" Sam asked, turning serious.

Ben shook his head. "Everything's been quiet. How're things on your end?"

"We've been patching things up, but the recent attack was a serious blow," Carter explained. "We don't know if we'll have enough manpower for the invasion."

"Of course we will," Newt scoffed. "We're Slayers."

"I'm just hoping the invasion itself doesn't start in the next few weeks," Evan admitted. "We may have the manpower but not the weapons. We need to upgrade."

"Uh, dude, we don't upgrade our weapons," Newt pointed out. "We just reuse old ones and tack on a bunch of new gadgets."

"Isn't that technically what upgrading is?" Carter mused. "Tacking new apps onto old machines, that is."

Everyone had to think about that for a minute. Ben eventually just shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever. We'll still kick High Breed ass. Hey, what happened to Count Fluffula?" Every turned to look at him like he was crazy.

"Who is Count Fluffula?" Gwen asked, screwing up her face.

"The king of all vampires," Carter stated an innocent look on her face.

Kevin looked at her. "That's Dracula."

She glared at him and put her hand under the blanket. With a lightning fast flick she threw the stuffed cat at Kevin, startling him.

"GAH!" He slapped the winged thing out of the air. It bounced off the wall and fell into Gwen's hands.

"Run! It's after virgin blood!" Carter yelled out hopping out of bed. She and Ben gave theatric screams and ran out the room, leaving many a confused person in the room.

Gwen looked at the fanged toy in her hands and said, "The fuck just happened?"

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day<strong>

Newt was back in Isaac's study, sitting behind his desk. He flipped through the ancient leather-bound book that happened to be open. The pages were old and crinkly, the black ink aged and somewhat faded. Every Latin word was in Isaac's loopy handwriting. There were even sketches dotting the pages, some small and taking up a small corner of a page, others large and filling up half the space.

Newt idly flipped through the sheets, only stopping once he got a glance at a few particular sketches. One was an alchemical sigil that he didn't recognize, but since he never actually went very far with his studies he didn't bother examining it further. What piqued his interest instead were the four lifelike drawings at the bottom of the page. The anatomical sketches were of people, two men, two women, two adult and two children.

This struck Newt as odd. While he didn't have much in the way of alchemical knowledge, he still remembered from his lessons that people shouldn't be involved directly in a transmutation. Yes they could draw the circle and sigil inside it, put the raw materials inside it, and command the spell to work, but that was it. No person was supposed to put themselves inside the circle. It was strictly taboo.

Newt took a look at the text Isaac had written out. The Latin words seemed like the older version, the language the Immortals used before founding Rome. At that point the language became the bastardized medley the world knew today. Many of the words were similar, but it was like reading Shakespeare; it was nearly impossible to tell what the author meant unless there was an interpreter nearby. Newt would have settled for page notes at the bottom, like with the Shakespeare stories at school.

Frustrated he turned back to the drawings and saw something he had missed earlier. How he did though was beyond him. He took a better look at the adult male and female sketches and saw funny markings on their arms and legs. They looked vaguely like scales, though they were too tiny to tell what kind of scales they were. Newt turned to the children to see if they had the same markings. No, but there was something off with their eyes, something easily missed. They were unusually sharp, their eyelids drawn with heavy kohl, their pupils too large for their irises.

Newt leaned back in Isaac's chair and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Something was up with his grandfather's work. Isaac was a wizard, a master alchemist. He shouldn't have such illegal writings in his possession. He may be the carrier for the Lyrica gene, but if anyone found out about this book he would be nothing more than a common criminal, doomed to life imprisonment and possibly execution.

Unless… Newt took a better look at the archaic letters written across the page. He had a hard time reading, but he could almost make out a few expressions in the text. Nothing about them said that this funny transmutation circle and human drawings were supposed to be used together. Perhaps this particular set of pages was a warning Isaac thought up to remind himself never to attempt human transmutation.

Newt slumped back into his seat, relieved. If that was true-and it most likely was-then Isaac wasn't in any trouble with Slayer law. Having written and keeping the book would be shady, but it certainly wouldn't be illegal. And while it would be best to simply get rid of the tome, no one was going to storm his house and take it from him.

In the meantime, perhaps it would be best to hide the book. Newt couldn't get rid of it himself; it was still Isaac's property, after all. Newt closed the book, holding the soft red cover in his hands. He opened a drawer and gently put the tome inside. Just as he was closing the hiding spot, he could hear footsteps outside the study room.

Newt immediately kicked his feet up and got out his phone. He pretended to be relaxing in Isaac's seat as the man himself walked through the door. He took a look at his lazy grandson and gave a good natured sigh.

"Newton, please put down your feet," Isaac ordered. "That desk is old and I hate to replace it."

Newt obediently put down his feet and pocketed his phone. He got out of the chair and stretched. "So what are we doing today, boss man?"

"More training," Isaac answered. "But first, tell me: how's your cousin doing?"

Newt looked at him, surprised. "You haven't visited her?"

Isaac shook his head. "Not for the past two days, no. I was busy patching things up in HQ. Cordelia couldn't give me much of an update either."

"She's doing fine. She might get out at the end of the week," Newt said. "How are things underground?"

Isaac sighed. "Not too good, I'm afraid. We lost many a good man in the attack and it's hard to replace them. And upgrading our security hasn't been fun either."

"When was the last time the Bellwood branch was infiltrated?" Newt was afraid of the answer, but he was too curious not to ask.

"Never," Isaac said solemnly. "The only ones that were breached were the Washington D.C., Honolulu, Chicago, and New York branches. Bellwood's too out of the way to be considered a vital point."

Newt slumped back in the chair. "_Holy shit_."

"Language, Newton," Isaac scolded. "But yes, it is frightening to think about. Especially when you realize that the Bellwood branch's security system wasn't nearly as good as the ones in D.C. and the other three I mentioned. There just never seemed to be any point to upgrade until now."

"Lesson learned, huh?" Newt said sardonically.

Isaac gave a bitter smile. "Lesson learned indeed. Now, the High Breed invasion is coming up soon. We need to schedule in more practice sessions until then. Are you ready?"

Newt closed his eyes. He could see the now murky vision of Gwen in Morningstar's arms, her skin gray and corpselike, and her eyes dull and lifeless. This was soon replaced by a more recent image: his cousin in a hospital bed, IVs strapped to her person, her pale skin grayish. Blood soaked through her bandages, her mouth stretched out in a tortured moan, her eyes bright and feverish after the surgery.

Newt opened his eyes. "Let's do this."

* * *

><p><strong>At around the same time…<strong>

"You do know I have better things to do right?" Ben complained as he trudged through the halls of the Carmichael mansion. "You know: things like homework to help with my education?"

"I admit, education's important," Phineas began, "but the High Breed invasion is coming up and that really takes more precedence than some report."

"Tell that to my mother," Ben grumbled.

Phineas stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Ben, do you really think you're learning anything in school?"

He gave the older man a look. "Uh, _yeah_. My parents wouldn't be spending tax dollars on my school if they didn't think I was learning something."

Phineas shook his head. "What you've been taught for the past fifteen years isn't learning. What you're teachers have really been doing is filling your head with facts and telling you that it's teaching. Learning is when you apply the lessons you've been taught to real life situations. Tell me, how can you apply the Trail of Tears into your current life?"

"That was the result of a racist president moving various tribes far away from their homeland without considering their opinion," Ben told him like he should already know this. "There's no way something like that can happen today."

"And is writing a paper about it really going to matter to some kid who can't even comprehend the feelings behind that movement?"

"Excuse me?"

"You said it yourself Ben, the Trail of Tears would never work in today's world. You can't comprehend the racism and the political greed behind the movement because you grew up in a world where racism is considered a bad thing. You can't write an effective report on it because you don't have the mindset to experience it."

"So we shouldn't learn about history to learn from its mistakes?" Ben asked impetuously. "Should we just stay ignorant and let history repeat itself?"

"Oh no, you should definitely learn your facts," Phineas said smoothly. "Learning to not repeat the mistakes of your forefathers is a valuable lesson. I'm just saying that what the world doesn't need is another regurgitated paper written by a kid who couldn't understand what went on behind the scenes."

"So, what you're saying is that I shouldn't write another paper ever?" Ben asked hopefully.

Phineas gave him a sardonic smile. "Sure, if you want to fail." He turned and began to walk again.

"You're very contradictory, you know that?" Ben told him truthfully. The older man just snorted.

Soon enough they arrived before the basement, walking down a dark staircase with very little light filtering through. As always, Ben felt the need to fill the silence.

"So how much time do you think I have to learn all this?" he asked not for the first time.

Phineas thought for a moment. "Not very long. Probably a couple weeks."

"Can I master everything before then?" he asked worriedly.

His grandfather snorted again. "Oh hell no. You've done well, getting this far in the short time we've had, but there's no way you're going to master Ventus's powers by the time the High Breed invade."

"Then why did you say I had to?"

"Call it my naïve hope," Phineas answered. "Besides, even if you haven't mastered it you can still use your powers against the High Breed. You know, as long as they don't know you have them."

"Don't worry they don't," Ben reassured him. "And I gotta admit; this wind power really got me out of a few tough spots."

"That's good," Phineas said before flicking on the lights. The cavern they appeared in was small and covered wall to wall with wine bottles. Disturbed dust quickly settled back down.

"Are you ever going to open any of these bottles?" Ben asked not for the first time.

"I tend to open some of the newer ones for special occasions," Phineas explained. "But the older ones I'm selling. You'd be surprised how many people would pay top dollar for a single bottle of aged wine."

"I seriously doubt it. So are we doing this or what?"

Lightning crackled through the dusty air. Phineas smiled, electricity flowing from his hair, his hands, the very aura around him. A black hole suddenly appeared beneath Ben, dropping him into the time pocket. He screamed as he fell through.

"Let's get dangerous," Phineas said as he fell through the hole himself.

* * *

><p><strong>At around the same time…<strong>

"Why are we in your house again?" Evan asked out loud.

Sam gave him a look. "I already explained this to you twice."

"But I forgot," he whined.

"Not my fault you're stupid!"

"Why is your house such an anachronism?" Gwen asked to diffuse the tension.

Sam shrugged. "Ask my parents."

Kevin slid down the hallway holding a large box. "Is this what your dad wanted to move?"

"There should be more of those boxes where you found them," Sam said, looking behind him.

"This was the only one," he said.

"But he said there would be more."

"What exactly is in that box?" Gwen asked. "You were really vague about that."

Sam shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, my dad wouldn't tell me."

Evan leaned against the wall, his back hitting it fairly hard. There was a faint hollow noise that resonated throughout the narrow hallway. Evan turned around, studying the wall.

"…What was that?" Gwen asked slowly.

"Sounds like a hidden room," Sam said in a bored tone.

"A hidden room?" Kevin parroted back.

"Yeah, both mine and Carter's houses tend to have those," she explained.

"So this doesn't surprise you."

"Well, after you find so many they just get kind of boring."

"Well, not for me." Evan maneuvered out of the way using his crutches. "Is there a way in?"

Sam walked up against the wall, a hand feeling out the area. She could detect no hinges or thin cracks in it. She knocked on it, making the hollow sounds ring out until she found where they ended.

And then she promptly kicked the wall in, collapsing it and making debris fall everywhere.

Kevin dropped the box as he covered his mouth. Everyone began to cough, waving away the dust as it finally started to settle. When they could finally open their eyes, they saw that Sam was gone. She had already entered the hidden chamber.

The room was small, barely bigger than a closet. It was covered floor to ceiling in blue, a mellow color that soothed the soul. A vent was right in the middle of the ceiling, along with a few tiny shelves that nearly hit Kevin's head when he walked into the room.

"Yeah, this isn't claustrophobic at all," Evan said sarcastically. Gwen's face grew pale and she quickly stepped out back into the hallway. He looked at her.

"You're claustrophobic, aren't you?"

"No!" she said hotly. "I just don't like small, cramped places is all."

"That's what claustrophobia is," Sam pointed out as she further examined the room. "There isn't anything much here," she said after a while. "Whoever used this room probably wanted their privacy."

"Whoever used this room was just here." Kevin took down something from the shelves. It was an old-fashioned pill bottle made with clear, streaky glass. There was a white label in Latin, written in Isaac's loopy handwriting. Sam couldn't really make out the words in the dim lighting, but she could tell that the person who used this last needed prescribed medicine.

"Whoever was in here used this room for a while," Kevin commented as he took down similar pill bottles. Some of the glasses had turned brown from age, the white label yellow and crumbly.

Sam lit her hair on fire and used the aura of light to read the bottle in her hands. It was hard to read Isaac's handwriting, but he could make out a name and a date.

"My grandmother uses this room," she stated, her hair turning back to normal. Everyone turned to her, shocked.

"Lulu uses this room?" Evan asked. "Why?"

Sam took another look around. "It's probably some sort of meditation room. It would explain all the blue."

"But that doesn't explain the medicine," Gwen said from the hallway. "Hey, is there something in there?"

"No, there isn't."

Gwen gave her a disbelieving look. "Bring it out here." Sam handed her the glass and she brought it up to the light. Inside the pill bottle was a tiny speckling; it would have been unnoticeable in the dark. For a second Sam could have sworn that the specks glinted red, a vaguely crimson color before it died back to black.

"…There's something familiar about this," Sam mused quietly, squinting her eyes. "Haven't I seen this somewhere before?"

Evan poked his head out to study the glass. "I kind of remember this too, now that you mention it."

"Like in an old alchemy textbook about…" Sam's eyes widened and she and Evan looked at each other wide eyed.

"The Philosopher's Stone?" they asked themselves, like they couldn't believe the words that were coming out of their own mouths.

"Like in Harry Potter?" Kevin piped up.

Gwen gave them all a look. "Don't jump to conclusions. The Philosopher's Stone doesn't exist." Sam and Evan had the decency to look properly mollified.

"I guess," Evan allowed. "But that stuff does look like some of the examples in the old textbooks," he defended hastily.

"There's no way it can be a coincidence," Sam agreed.

Gwen rolled her eyes. "The Philosopher's Stone is a legend that people used to believe in. There's no way Lucille would be hoarding this stuff away to use it as medicine."

"The Philosopher's Stone has healing properties," Sam pointed out.

She had to give her that. "Even then there's no way Lucille would go through so much of it. It's probably something else. You know; something that isn't out of some movie."

"It's not some movie," Kevin protested. "It's Harry Potter!"

"Whatever." Gwen rolled her eyes. "The point is there's a logical explanation for this. We just need to find it."

"Right, and then when we do find out the truth, you'll see that it _is_ the Elixir of Life," Sam told her pettily.

"And what are the chances of that happening?"

* * *

><p><em>Oh Gwen. If only you knew…<em>

_Like I said, I'm not proud of this chapter. It's more of a prelude for what's to come. I don't blame you if you skimmed this, it's really not my best work._


	56. Full Moon in Springtime

Chapter 56: Full Moon in Springtime

_Song: April Moon by Bobby Caldwell_

_Way back in the beginning of this story, I told you that all the elemental powers took a lesson from Avatar: the Last Airbender. While I've deviated from the series pretty well, there's going to be one more significant deviation, mainly because I never understood how it worked in the A:tLA universe. Hope y'all are okay with that._

* * *

><p><strong>At the hospital, after school<strong>

"What did I tell you?" Gwen asked smugly.

Evan and Sam rolled their eyes. "We shouldn't have skipped class," they said in cadence.

"And then what happened after you got caught?"

"We got detention."

Gwen was having the worst time getting the grin off her face. "And what did you learn?"

"We shouldn't have gotten caught!" Sam said vehemently.

"We should've caused a distraction," Evan spat out.

Gwen stared at them for a long, incredulous moment before face palming. "You two didn't learn anything!"

"What did you expect?" Sam asked calmly.

Kevin put an arm around Sam's shoulder. "Aw, come on, they had to skip," he said in their defense. "Their best friend could see visitors for the first time in days. I would've done the same thing."

"You mean as long as there wasn't a car show or some sort of black market deal going on," Sam said dryly.

Kevin made a surprised noise. "I would do no such thing!"

Ben coughed into his fist. "Bullshit."

"You got something to say Tennyson?" Kevin hounded on him.

He held up his arms in surrender. "Oh no, Kevin. I said nothing at all."

"You liar," Evan said, smiling. He then stood up, gingerly putting weight on his wounded leg. "I'm getting a drink. You guys need anything?"

"Unless they have smoothies here, I don't want anything," Ben said crossing his arms behind his head.

"The coffee here's pretty good. You could try that," Sam offered.

He made a face. "Coffee and I don't mix."

"Especially after that thing when we were thirteen," Gwen began, an evil little grin spreading across her face.

"I admit, that was not my best idea," Ben said. "And we promised never to mention it again," he added in a hiss.

Gwen gave him an innocent look. "I don't remember any such promise."

"Gwen!"

"I'm kidding," she said, holding her arms up in mock surrender.

"Now I'm curious," Evan mused, still standing.

"Go and get your coffee," Ben ordered him tersely. Evan shrugged his shoulders and meandered off, his walk jerky from residual pain. Sam rolled her eyes before walking after him.

"I'll go with you," she explained as Evan slowed down. "Someone has to make sure you don't hurt yourself on the way there."

"I can take care of myself, thank you very much," he said pettily.

"Tell that to your leg!" Sam argued back. They yelled at each other back and forth until they rounded the corner and out of sight. At that point the remaining three couldn't hear them.

"They shouldn't have taken away his crutches," Kevin thought out loud.

"Guy has to walk by himself sometime," Ben pointed out.

"Oh, I know that," the older teen said hurriedly. "It's just that I saw him trying to drive his car earlier despite his bad leg."

Gwen and Ben turned to him, shocked. "But the doctor told him not to," Gwen said.

"The guy hasn't been able to drive his own car since he got it," Kevin told them. "Of course he'd go against the doctor's orders."

"Maybe we should put him in a wheelchair," Ben muttered as he continued to think. When he saw the looks the others were giving him, he quickly amended, "Just until his leg heals!" The two of them continued to stare until Gwen went over and knocked on Carter's door.

When no one answered, she said, "Maybe there's a nurse in there, like for a last minute checkup."

"Or maybe she left already," Kevin told them. "She can go home now, can't she?"

"Yeah, but she would have told me if she'd gone home," Ben said. "There aren't many other people who could pick her up."

Gwen suddenly looked at the floor. There was a bright light spreading underneath the door space. It was a sweet honey gold color, slightly sparkly and warm.

She suddenly jerked back, memories flashing over her eyes. A smug grin, blue eyes, maniacal laughter, all entwined together in pure golden light. Sweat on her brow and in a sudden panic Gwen seized the door knob and rattled it, trying to break the lock.

"Gwen?" Ben's alarmed voice rang out. She couldn't open the door; she slammed her shoulder against it, trying to break it.

"Gwen!" This time it was Kevin. Gwen ignored them both. The door wasn't breaking the golden light was spreading through the cracks _OH GOD HE WAS HERE-_

"Gwen," Ben said calmly, pulling the girl away from the door. "Listen." He nodded his head to the room behind the door. Gwen took several calming breaths and put her hand to her forehead. Something was flowing out of the room, something low and soft.

"_This is a story I've wanted to tell__  
><em>_I was left for a handsomer guy"_

Kevin clamped a hand on the doorknob and absorbed the metal. He then crushed the knob and gently pushed the door open.

"_All I could do was wish them both well__  
><em>_and gaze at my friend in the sky"_

Newt was glowing, a sweet golden aura surrounding him. His eyes were closed and his hair was moving, gently brushing past his face as if he was in a stream. His hands were gently surrounding Carter's neck, who had thrown her head back, eyes closed as well.

"_April Moon__  
><em>_you know me__  
><em>_I have wept here before"_

Everyone stared as Newt stretched out his mouth, singing in a voice that seemed too old for his youthful appearance. Carter suddenly picked up her head, eyes open. Newt jerked away slightly, opening his own eyes, his hands loosening. The golden aura was receding, the color dying.

And then Carter sang herself, in a pure, clear voice that seemed too old for her age:

"_Can you believe I went back to her for more__  
><em>_I just hate that side of me"_

Newt smiled, the last of the aura fading away. He let his hands go, keeping them in front of them nervously. And together with his cousin, they finished in perfect unison, dragging it on for as long as they can:

"_April Moon"_

Kevin slow clapped as their voices died away. Startled they turned to their audience, who were all clapping and wolf whistling. Carter gave a mocking curtsey while Newt awkwardly waved.

"Now I see why you didn't want us to hear before," Gwen said once she finished clapping. "That was just…amazing."

"Well, we are Valentines," Carter said, knocking her shoulder against her cousin's. Newt could only smile weakly, his face now with a gray tinge. Carter grimaced.

"I told you not to heal me. You aren't any good at it."

"It's not like I can practice back in D.C.," Newt protested. "I have to sing to activate it. That draws attention."

"So you sing to heal, while your hands just glow," Kevin noted, pointing at the cousins separately. "Yeah, that makes perfect sense."

"Well, it makes sense when you know our lineage," Newt pointed out.

"Your lineage," Gwen stated, arching an eyebrow.

Carter nodded. "I'm the vessel for Aquaria; he's the vessel for Lyrica. Our grandparents interbred despite protests from the other Immortals."

"Why'd they protest?" Kevin asked curiously.

"Aquaria is one of the Big Four, Lyrica is a fairly minor god," Newt explained.

Carter scoffed. "He's the god of the arts. Seems pretty important to me."

"He doesn't have strong elemental powers, thus making him minor." Newt frowned. "Though from the way he acts you'd think he'd be higher up the social ladder."

"So why did they get together?" Ben asked. "Your grandparents, I mean."

"They were in love," they said together, like he should already know this.

"Uh-huh, right, love," he muttered in a disbelieving tone.

"So where did you get your healing powers from?" Gwen asked quickly, trying to divert a potential argument.

"Lyrica, actually," Carter admitted. "Water was always used for fighting, so it wouldn't make sense for it to have healing properties."

"And I can actually do some minor water manipulation," Newt said suddenly.

"No way," Kevin said incredulously.

"Oh yes way," Newt said haughtily. He grabbed the water bottle on Carter's table and, to everyone's sudden shock, promptly dumped the contents right over his head. His hair and shirt sopping wet, he closed his eyes and screwed up his face in concentration. To almost everyone's surprise, the water slowly lifted off of Newt's person and fell to the floor with a loud splash.

Looking down at the ring of liquid surrounding him, Newt grinned and said, "Suck it, bitches."

"And now you got my floor wet," Carter huffed. "Nice going genius."

"Still though, that's pretty incredible," Ben admitted. "We didn't think you could honestly do it."

"Would I dump an entire bottle of water over my head if I honestly couldn't do it?"

"…Good point." Ben turned to Carter, who was rubbing at her throat. "Something wrong?"

She put down her hand. "Err, no, it's just hard to get used to not feeling the scars."

Newt tilted her head back so everyone could see the clear white flesh of her neck. "Well, get used to it, 'cause they're gone."

Putting her head back up, Carter waggled her finger in his face. "Now look who's smug."

"I have a reason to," he said pompously.

Kevin eyed the water still around Newt's feet. "So is anyone going to clean that up or what?"

The door suddenly burst open, and Sam and Evan walked right in-or limped in, as was Evan's case. Sam held two cups of coffee and was leading the two. She saw the ring of water pooled around Newt and stopped short. Evan, who had walked right behind her, bumped into her and nearly made her spill the drinks.

Evan peered over Sam's shoulder and said, "You used those powers, didn't you?"

Newt nodded. "Uh-huh."

Sam looked at Carter's neck and gave a low whistle. "You've really outdone yourself this time." She handed the cups to Evan and went over to her friend. She pulled her head back to examine her throat.

"You guys knew?" Gwen asked.

"Of course we did," Sam said, looking over at her.

"Don't you think this information could have been helpful to us before?" Something was off with Gwen's tone. She sounded almost indignant, despite the wording being so factual.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Newt's in D.C. most of the time. Even if we did tell you it wouldn't help us."

"She's right," Ben said.

"Wait, if you're healed, does that mean you can fix my leg?" Evan asked, making his way over. He went around the pool of water and sat down on the hospital bed.

Carter smirked. "They took away your crutches, didn't they?"

"They did, and they won't give me any more painkillers," he whined. With a roll of her eyes Carter sat down next to him and put his injured leg in her lap. Her hands glowing blue she immediately went to work on his wounds.

"Evan, are you still on painkillers?" Newt asked suddenly, a funny look on his face.

Evan gave him a look. "No, why?"

He suddenly looked away. "No reason."

Carter snorted and tried not to laugh. "Do you want me to heal that burn too?"

Evan looked at her bewildered. "That was a burn?"

* * *

><p>Later in the day, when everyone went their separate ways, Sam found herself on the phone. Now, nothing about that was strange. She was usually using her cell phone, texting her friends or calling Kevin or getting orders from Cordelia. What was strange about this time was that she was getting information from Isaac himself.<p>

"Why did you call me?" Sam had stammered out when he revealed the nature of the call.

"Because you weren't hospitalized recently," he had answered back smoothly.

And now here Sam was, in her disaster zone of a bedroom, taking down as many notes as possible as Isaac rattled out the facts. She didn't trust herself to remember all the little details.

"…we may have an inkling on why the High Breed need the abandoned quartz mine," Isaac continued, "and it might have something to do with the time experiment our friend Paradox used back in the fifties."

"I'm guessing quartz is the power source for the hyperspace gate," Sam noted as she continued writing.

"Pretty much. We've also seen some strange activity going on in those parts."

Sam stopped her pencil. "How can it get any weirder?"

"An alien seems to be stealing random parts of the town since last night," Isaac explained. "Stop signs, drive-thru signs, lamp posts…"

"I get the idea," Sam said, leaning back in her chair. "You want us to check it out."

"I wouldn't be calling you if I didn't."

"I'll get the others and we'll be on our way," she said hanging up. She then sighed, staring wistfully at the pile of books and folders full of notes which she could be using to study. Unlike Evan and Carter she actually needed to review for most subjects. But knowing the mission came first she took the subspace card out of her boots and quickly slashed the air beside her. The familiar green door with angel and devil wing motif instantly appeared. She quickly went through the doorway and ran down the lime green highways until she reached a familiar bedroom door.

Sam quickly opened it to see…the ceiling? She poked her head out and saw the floor right beside her. She then looked up to see everyone in Carter's bedroom, sketch paper in their hands.

"That's…never happened before," Carter stuttered out as Kevin helped lift Sam out of the doorway. She used her foot to close the door and it soon disappeared.

"I forgot we could use subspace," Evan admitted out loud as Sam peered at the drawing in his hand. It was a colored sketch of Erda, the earth god. He was dressed in his long green toga and purple cape with the Civic crown resting on his hair.

"Newt, did you draw these?" Sam had to ask.

He nodded sheepishly. "Just one of the perks of having art powers."

"Well, it's beautiful," Gwen told him as she looked at a different drawing. "Hey, Sam, is this supposed to be Kirche?" She made her look at the drawing in her hands: it was of a beautiful, angry woman with fire for hair and a slashed red toga.

"It is, but it isn't quite right," Sam said. "The hair's supposed to be longer, her dress isn't slashed like this-it's supposed to be slit up the leg- she's a lot more muscular with some scars on her arms…and she's supposed to have daggers strapped to her thighs."

Ben blinked. "How come we've never seen her?"

"She never had to come out."

"So, wait, she has weapons under her skirt?" Kevin asked guilelessly. Everyone turned to glare at him. "…I said something bad didn't I?" he added quietly.

"Yes, you did," Sam said sternly.

"I just wanted to know why!" he quickly tried to explain. He continued to stammer out, "I mean, we never see the other gods with weapons, especially that Aquaria person-!"

Ben started towards him, but Evan beat him to it. With one long stride he quickly decked Kevin right in the chin, sending the older boy right to the ground. Stars shone out of his eyes as Kevin quickly got his bearings back.

Standing over him on strong, confident legs, Evan yelled at him, "You don't wonder what a girl has up her skirt, you pervert!"

Carter and Ben looked at each other. Both of them had stepped forward at the last minute, rolling a sleeve up in an obvious gesture of violence. She smiled while he looked away sheepishly, a luminescent blush on his features.

Newt, ignoring the moment next to him, took the subspace card out of Sam's hands and said, "I need to leave, so I'll just have Carter lead me home."

Sam looked at Kevin, who was still sprawled on the ground. "You know if this was on a sitcom I would have laughed."

"It doesn't matter; it's still pretty funny," Gwen said, an evil little smile on her face.

* * *

><p><strong>Later<strong>

"Isaac wants us to do what?" Evan asked as he pulled his hair back into its ponytail. Instead of the bum look he adopted days ago, he was dressed normally in jeans with a belt looped around his waist, old sneakers, and a long sleeved black shirt paired with a green t-shirt with a black dragon graphic on the front. He was sitting in the back of Kevin's car, next to Ben, with Sam in the driver's seat with the owner of the car driving.

Sam held up the note with the scribbles she had written down just hours ago. "According to him, there have been sightings of an unidentifiable alien coming from that quartz quarry into town and stealing property. He just wants us to check it out."

"Quartz quarry?" Evan raised an eyebrow. "Is that the same one we found back with the oscillator key incident?"

"Not exactly," Sam said. "That was just the main building. The mine isn't too far from it. That's where we're headed."

"What do the DNAliens want with quartz?" Ben asked.

"It's probably their power source," Kevin pointed out obviously. He slowly drove the car out onto the desert road, following a floating Gwen. She was surrounded by a pink aura, her arms and legs forced into a meditative position. She had her powers around a crushed traffic light, using the energy around it as a tracking device.

"I'm definitely picking something up!" Gwen suddenly shouted. "We'll be able to identify this person pretty soon."

"It's a DNAlien," Ben stated. "Who else is strong enough to tear down a traffic light?"

Sam pointed to herself and Evan. "We are."

"You have something against traffic lights?" Kevin asked amused.

"No, I'm just pointing out the obvious," Sam explained in an equally amused tone. Then she turned serious. "As a matter of fact any one of us could have torn down that traffic light. It doesn't necessarily have to be a DNAlien."

"Hold on guys!" Gwen shouted suddenly, the pretty pink aura fading away. "I found them." She stood on the ground and let the totaled traffic light shatter against the road. They all heard the sound of wheels scraping against the ground.

"Over there," Gwen whispered, nodding her head towards the left. Everyone turned to see a giant, green-brown lumpy…_thing_. It was hauling a large wagon full of clutter. It stopped before a cactus before lightly grabbing onto one of the branches. It suddenly screamed in pain right before uprooting the cactus and attempting to eat it.

"Found your DNAlien," Sam said with a smarmy grin. Ben grumbled something unintelligible as he and Kevin immediately ran out of the car in pursuit of the offending creature. "Idiots," she added bitterly as she and Evan got out of the car.

"Yeah, but one of them is your idiot," Evan pointed out with a shit-eating grin. Sam gave a cocky half smile. Then they heard the sounds of their friends screaming and they wiped the grins off their faces.

The lumpy thing had thrown something at them, using its absurd strength. Ben and Kevin had dodged to the sides to avoid the attack. The alien walked right past them and picked up the object, a pink, blue, and black oval-thing with broken cables spilling out of the bottom. The alien nuzzled it happily.

"Doesn't seem very hostile," Evan noted as the two of them walked up the scene.

"That kind of looks like High Breed tech though," Sam pointed out. "It could be working for them."

Evan and Sam walked over to the cart it was pulling and looked at the random things inside it. Ben obviously had the same idea as them. "What's it trying to build with all this stuff?" He picked up silver ornaments from the collection.

The alien instantly crept up behind him and lifted the club like weapon. Ben rolled over and dodged before he could get hit. He pawed at the Omnitrix from the ground.

"We don't want to hurt you," Ben told it. "Drop the weapon and give yourself up!"

Kevin put a hand on a conveniently placed rock and absorbed the stone. "You don't have to read him his rights first, Tennyson. Just take him out." He leaped and did a spinning punch right to the alien's face. It fell back; Kevin ran right up to it…

…and got hit by a giant pile of snow.

Everyone stared as Kevin fell to the ground as the heavy weight of fluffy snow fell right on top of him. He lifted his head, his hair covered in white. He attempted to lift himself off the ground, but then something heavy fell on top of him, pushing him back into the dirt, the air leaving his lungs with a loud, "Oof!"

A green door hovered in midair, the doorway left open. Carter was in the snow pile, sitting right on Kevin's back. She got up, brushed the back of her skirt off, and heaved a snowball at the door. The impact was hard enough to close the door, making it eventually fade away.

"Newt's back in D.C. in case you were wondering," was the first thing Carter said before she took in the situation in front of her. As Kevin got up and brushed snow off of him, the Goth pointed to the greenish alien and said rhetorically, "This is what's been stealing private property, isn't it."

"We don't know why though." Sam pointed to the wagon of objects. "It's got High Breed tech, but from the look of things it isn't smart enough to use it."

Carter took a look at the inside of the wagon, and then turned to the lumpy alien nuzzling its toy. Stroking her chin she said, "It's a baby looking for toys."

Taken aback, Ben cried out, "What? How?"

She gestured to the wagon. "It can't build anything out of those. He probably saw them as shiny and took them. You know, like an infant would."

"But it's got High Breed technology!"

"It probably took it from them. And can you blame it? It looks like a rattle." She pointed to the thing in the alien's hands.

"She's right," Gwen piped up. Everyone turned to her. "Oh, and it's a girl."

"Don't girls usually have big bows on the side of their head or something?" Kevin asked without thinking. Sam cleared her throat audibly and glared at him. Kevin grinned sheepishly and twiddled his fingers.

"I just keep saying the wrong thing today, don't I?"

"Just keep your mouth shut and look pretty," Sam said with a soft smile.

While they were talking the alien had been looking at Gwen, an adoring look on its face. Suddenly it grabbed her, lifting her high in the air. She gave a cry of surprise and immediately tried to break free.

"Gwen!" Carter shouted, hand clutching a water whip. "Put her down now!"

"Don't do anything!" Ben suddenly ordered her. "It'll squish her."

Despite her struggles, Gwen had the power to say, "I don't want to be squished!" She turned to the alien, who was still gazing at her adoringly and ordered, "Put me down. Now!"

With a confused grunt the alien slowly put Gwen down. "Thank you," she said once she was free. She backed away slowly. The alien reached a hand out for her, whimpering.

"If it's really a baby, then I'll feel really bad about hitting it," Evan told everyone.

"It _is_ a baby," Carter insisted, "though I don't know why it went after Gwen. You don't look shiny," she added. The alien in question began to play with the High Breed object, spinning it around like a top.

"What exactly makes you think it's a girl?" Sam asked curiously.

"It doesn't really matter," Evan said. "We can't waste time babysitting this thing."

"We also can't leave it here," Carter pointed out. "It's too dangerous for it to wander around the desert."

"We're on a mission of intergalactic proportions," Ben said. "This creature has nothing to do with that."

"You don't think I know that?" Carter pointed to the High Breed tech the alien was now chewing on. "This thing took enemy technology. Chances are they'll want it back. If we leave it wandering the desert, the DNAliens will kill it and take the object. But if we take it with us, we've got some leverage."

"_She's_ not some tool for us to use!" Gwen protested hotly.

"She's also not something we can waste our time on," Sam pointed out logically. "We're all teenagers, guys. We don't know the first thing about taking care of a baby."

"That's what the internet's for," Carter said exasperatedly.

"She also has a point," Ben said, nodding to Carter. "The DNAliens will come after their tool. They're probably searching for it right now."

"So, what, we're just taking this thing with us?" Kevin gave the baby alien a disgusted look. "Where are going to hide it?"

Everyone slowly turned to face Kevin. "You've got a few hideouts, don't you?" Sam asked slyly.

Kevin's eyes widened. "Oh, hell no."

* * *

><p><em>About the coffee incident, let's just say that Ben used thumbtacks, firecrackers, and a Segway. No, I have no idea where he got a Segway. Let's just leave it at that, okay?<em>

_So, thoughts anyone?_


	57. Dukes of Hazzard Style

Chapter 57: Dukes of Hazzard Style

_Since I forgot to do this last chapter..._

_To **TheEtherealLord: **Thank you so much for the amazing review! It made me so happy. :D As for your questions, well, if I put Carter on the brink for too long, it'd get old. Also, I don't want to get into Cordelia's extreme measures just yet. That's for later down the line. Sam can replenish her energy from fire, but in order to do so there has to be a newly made batch around. She can't absorb her own fire for energy, and starting a fire from scratch can be dangerous. As for Ben and Evan, they can't use their elements for energy cause then they'd be all powerful and that's no fun. And I may explain shadow travel, just not right now._

_To **Helene**: I could, but this story is rated T for teens, so I won't. But I will most certainly push the envelope in that regard._

_To everyone else, Carter's real name isn't Candy. Her mother wanted to call her that, but Cordelia convinced her to change the name to Carter at the last minute. So her real name is Carter Valentine._

_Anyway, on with the show!_

* * *

><p><strong>The next day<strong>

"Why did you convince me to hide the alien?" Ben grumbled as he and Carter entered his disaster area of a room.

"I already told you my reasons," Carter snapped.

"I forgot."

"Not my fault your memory sucks." She plopped down on the floor, leaning her back against the bed frame. "Besides, I'm not happy about this either. You think I want to help babysit some alien brat?"

Ben sat down next to her, an eyebrow raised. "I thought you'd leap at the chance to take care of a baby. Isn't Aquaria the mother of the gods or something?"

Carter took a deep, calming breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. As she exhaled, she tersely explained, "Ben, Aquaria didn't raise all those kids. She and Ventus created them through wishful thinking."

"You know, I've heard mention of this 'wishful thinking,' but I can't imagine how you'd get an actual human life out of it," Ben said.

"Okay, so you know how Athena was born, right?" Carter asked. Ben made a half-and-half motion with his hand. "Well, according to mythology, there was a prophecy that if Metis, goddess of cunning and wisdom, ever had children with Zeus, the kids would become more powerful than the king of the gods himself. To prevent the prophecy from happening, Zeus convinced Metis to turn into a bug. He then turned into a bird and swallowed Metis whole."

"…What."

"Yeah, I don't get his reasoning either," Carter said, completely missing the point. "Unfortunately for Zeus, Metis was already pregnant, so by the time she went into labor, Zeus had a splitting headache. Somehow one of the other gods cleaved open his head and out sprung a fully adult Athena, clad in armor."

"…Greek myths are fucking weird," Ben muttered.

Carter rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it. Anyway, wishful thinking is a lot like the birth of Athena. The biggest differences re that it happens in a cathedral, in a circle full of ruins, and with a basin full of water in the center, and with two people agreeing on the attributes to the Master Alchemist so the baby can form."

"Master Alchemist."

"Hey, I don't make the rules. But from what I've heard, the people who normally use wishful thinking are the ones who are sterile or don't want to go through the actual pregnancy. And the result is always a baby. You can probably create a fully grown adult or a teenager or even a young child, but that takes a longer time thanks to all the paperwork."

"So, in short, wishful thinking is for creating your version of the perfect child," Ben simplified.

Carter snorted. "Hardly. You don't know what kind of person the baby will grow up to be. My mother was a wish baby and she was a total airhead. If she didn't look like Cordelia and have Isaac's hair color you'd never think they were related."

"So, Aquaria had a lot of kids with Ventus thanks to wishful thinking…" Ben said slowly, trying to understand everything. "Either way, wouldn't she be considered the mother of the gods?"

"Not quite," Carter said with a frown. "I know she had at least one pregnancy, but apparently she hated it so much that she decided that if Ventus wanted more kids, they'd have to do it magically. And Ventus was obviously a family man."

_**What's wrong with big families? **_Ventus grumbled inside Ben's head. Ben mentally shushed him and tuned back in to Carter.

"It's kind of fuzzy, but I think Aquaria was given the title 'the mother of the gods' against her will," she mused. "Whenever someone tried to pin it on her she'd curse them or something. But it seems like she was okay with being called the _unofficial_ mother, because she never hurt anyone who announced her along those lines."

"I can't wrap my mind around that," Ben admitted.

Carter scratched at her neck. "Neither can I, and I'm the one with her in my head." She grimaced as she took off the choker from her neck.

Ben stared at the leather item in her hands. He hadn't noticed she had been wearing it until now. "How long have you been wearing that?" he asked her out loud.

"Since this morning," Carter told him and she put the choker back on. "I forgot to put it on yesterday, in case you were wondering."

"I bought that because I thought you were going to have scars," Ben told her. "If you don't need it, I can always return it."

"No!" she snapped at him.

"But you don't-!"

"I said no," she said sternly, glaring at him.

"Why?" he asked, meeting her glare with one of his own.

She turned red in the face, her angry stare turning into an embarrassed one. Ben stared at her bemusedly as she stuttered out, "B-because you bought it for me."

Ben blinked once before roaring with laughter. Carter pushed him away, yelling, "Idiot!" before storming out of the room.

* * *

><p><strong>In a garage on the far side of town<strong>

"Hey Sam, remember when I said I'd feel bad if I hit this thing?" Evan asked as he hid under the table. Sam, who happened to be near him, answered back:

"Yeah. What of it?"

"I take it all back," he whimpered as the baby alien threw a car at the wall. It seemed to be crying about something, but no one could tell what. And until the baby could be satisfied, it would continue its tantrum until it-she-tired herself out.

Kevin did an army crawl towards his two friends and snarled, "Why did you convince me to hide this thing?"

"_We_ didn't," Evan insisted through gritted teeth.

"If you want someone to blame, then blame Gwen," Sam pointed out as the screams from the baby grew louder. "Where is she anyway?"

The door to the garage then opened, and their friendly neighborhood magic wielder walked in. The baby was about to throw another car at the wall when, Gwen, alarmed, used her powers to snatch the vehicle out of her hands. Bewildered, the baby stopped crying and looked up where the car once was. And then she looked before her at Gwen. The baby chirped happily and crawled towards the human.

Sam took that moment to lift the table she and Evan were hiding under as she and the two boys stood up. The three of them looked at the happy scene exhausted. "I have half a mind to just leave them here," Evan grumbled under his breath.

"You know you won't," Sam said with an eye roll. He just groaned.

After Gwen got the baby situated with some new toys, she walked over to them. "So, I'm guessing taking care of it was a challenge?"

"We should have left it in the desert," Kevin snapped.

"I told you we didn't know what we were doing," Sam moaned. "But does anyone listen to the crazy one? No, they never do…" she trailed off with murder in her eyes.

"Uh-huh," Gwen noted uncomfortably. She turned to Evan. "Are you guys going to help me or are you just going to keep standing around and arguing about it?"

"I'd like to just keep standing around," Evan said with a hint of his normal joviality.

"I'd like to keep arguing about it," Kevin said just as happily.

"I'd like to keep arguing about it as we slowly walk out of the building," Sam said, backing away slowly towards the door. Before anyone could react she ran towards the door, threw it open and let the sunlight filter in. And then she called out, "Kevin, where's your car?"

Arching an eyebrow, Kevin walked through the doorway. "I parked it in front-MY CAR!"

"Someone stole his car, didn't they?" Gwen asked rhetorically.

"Question is who?" Evan rubbed his chin. "According to Kevin no one really comes around these parts, and no one besides Kevin has the keys to his car…" he trailed off, a sudden, devious grin on his face. He roared with laughter, holding his sides as tears began to slide down his cheeks. The baby, not understanding, clapped her hands and laughed along with him.

"What's so funny?" Gwen demanded to know.

* * *

><p><strong>About forty minutes ago…<strong>

"LOOP-DE-LOOP!" Ben shouted as he dived and flipped through the air.

"YOU'RE NOT DOING IT RIGHT!" Carter shouted at him. "THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT!" She then zoomed downward on a thermal and did a proper loop-de-loop. Ben laughed as he flew downward, catching up to Carter. The two raced at break-neck speeds as they flew towards the ground. Simultaneously they flipped feet first and flapped their wings, slowing their descent. Eventually their feet lightly touched the ground and they magically hid their mismatched wings.

"I need to fly like that more often," Ben said cheerfully as he ran a hand through his windblown hair, trying to right it. He untied his jacket from around his waist and put it on.

Carter gingerly touched her face. "It'd be a lot more fun without the windburn though. Ow." She winced when she touched a sensitive spot. She touched the worse spots again with glowing hands.

Ben jerked his head towards the looming building. He could hear crying sounds, and it seemed like someone was throwing things in there. "You hear that?" he asked her.

"Baby crying again?" Carter asked her voice muffled.

"Yup."

She groaned. "I really don't wanna go in there." Her face healed she let her hands drop to her sides.

"We can't leave Gwen alone in there," Ben protested.

"You were the one eager to leave it in the desert," Carter retorted.

"That's because we have bigger things to worry about," he shot back. "Besides, Gwen's a big girl, she can handle it. And if not, she's got Sam and the guys helping her. She'll be fine."

A Cheshire grin stretched across Carter's face. "Which means we can leave them for a while."

Ben's eyes widened. "Where you planning this?"

Carter took a look at the parking lot. Only one car was in it: a familiar green Dodge Challenger. "How's about we hijack Kevin's car, drive it a few blocks away, and make out in it?"

Ben's eyes bugged out. "Oh, that is _dirty_." He turned serious. "But wait, you don't have Kevin's keys."

Carter held up a finger coated in ice. Quickly the ice turned to liquid and solidified into a familiar key shape. "You were saying?" She walked over to the driver's side of the car.

"But this is wrong!" Ben protested as Carter got to work on the car. "We can't just steal Kevin's car, it's illegal!"

"Uh-huh."

"And if Kevin finds out we took it he'll kill us!"

"No, he'll kill you. He'll probably just yell at me or something." Carter finished her work on the car and opened the door. She slid into the driver's seat and told Ben, "You coming or not?"

Ben was about to protest when he heard another cry coming from the garage. He screwed up his face. He then slid over the car's hood _Dukes of Hazzard_ style and slammed the passenger door shut.

"Let's go."

* * *

><p><strong>Fast forward forty minutes…<strong>

Just a few blocks away from the garage, in an abandoned parking lot, was the Dodge Challenger. It was conveniently hidden between two tall buildings, and there were only three ways in and out of the parking lot, two of them involving cars, the other the alleyways.

The Dodge Challenger, in case the audience was wondering, was not violently rocking back and forth. It was gentler, almost like a rocking chair. Though the windows were steamed up quite thoroughly, which was why it was hard to make out a certain green jacket carelessly thrown on the dashboard.

"Wait!" came a sudden shout from the inside. The car stood still. The green jacket was taken from the dashboard.

Carter rolled her eyes, but that was the only sign of any annoyance. The rest of her was wired, as if her entire body was thrumming with electricity. She didn't know how she could be so calm, but she was.

She quickly tried to straighten her clothes, but there was only so much she could do in the limited amount of space. And there was Ben next to her, making it all even more cramped. Though she hadn't minded the close proximity moments before…

"Look, it's not like I'm not saying I don't want it," Ben rambled on as he straightened his shirt, trying to hide the red scratch marks on his back. "But I don't feel ready, like our relationship isn't mature enough to handle something like that."

"I know Ben," Carter said gently as she ran her fingers through her disheveled hair. "I shouldn't have tried that."

"I mean, it's not like I don't find you attractive." Ben turned to her and gave a lingering stare. "No, it's not that at all," he mumbled in a low voice. He snapped out of it, his voice growing more high-pitched as panic continued to set in. "I mean-!"

Carter put a finger to his lips and made a shushing noise. "Shut up," she ordered him as she put her neck piece back on. "One, I admit I was out of line, and I'm sorry for that. I should have waited until you were more prepared for something like that. Two, we're not at the state's consent age, so even if I tried going for it, I probably would have stopped soon."

"Probably?" Ben said incredulously.

Carter was about to give a sheepish answer back when her phone beeped. Fishing it out of her boot, she read the text from Sam: _You stole the car, didn't you? _

Carter smirked. "Who is it?" Ben asked, the panic already washing itself away.

"Sam. Kevin found out his car's missing."

"Aw, man, we need to bring it back." He leaned back in the seat and groaned.

"I'll tell Sam to distract Kevin so we could sneak it into the parking lot," Carter said, already typing out the message.

"We can't park the car in the actual parking lot. It's too obvious," Ben pointed out, pursing his bruised lips.

Carter thought a moment. "Maybe we can park it in the street and sneak out that way?"

"But there's no room to park the car on the road!"

"There's no one around, so we shouldn't get caught."

"…Good point. Okay, let's go."

Carter quickly sent the text and started the engine with her ice key. Rolling down the windows and getting rid of the steam, she peeled out of the parking lot, breaking the speed limit until she neared the garage. Then she slowed the car to a crawl and gently parked it right in front of the building. Right before Kevin could come out and kill them, Carter grabbed Ben's arm and smirked. Together they shadow traveled out of the car the second Kevin came storming out.

Carter dropped the two of them on the roof. They watched as Kevin got in the driver's seat of his beloved car and quickly got it into the parking lot before he could get a ticket. Ben quickly put his jacket back on and winced. "You really need to clip your nails. My back hurts."

With a deadpan expression Carter undid the buckle of her choker to reveal the bite marks on her neck. "Speak for yourself."

"Oh, admit it, you enjoyed that."

"Like how you enjoyed what I did to your back?"

"…Touché."

Once Ben and Carter were presentable enough to walk into the garage, they did so, trying to avoid Kevin as he searched his car for any stolen items. The inside of the garage was trashed; boxes were thrown everywhere, cars and other heavy items were lying totaled against the wall, and the most recent of babysitters looked thoroughly exhausted. Except for Gwen, who was playing with the baby alien.

"Any luck with Tiny?" Ben had the audacity to ask. Evan glared at him while Sam gave them a Cheshire grin.

"We know that it doesn't see very well in the daytime," Evan noted coolly.

"That would explain why it took all that property at night," Carter said. She gave Evan an innocent look. It took a while, but he gave her a smile.

Kevin took that moment to march into the room, seething. "What happened to you?" Ben asked as guilelessly as he could.

"Some bastards stole my car, that's what happened!" Kevin snarled. Tiny seemed to pick up on his mood and whimpered. Gwen gave him a deadly glare and tried to comfort her.

"But we saw your car in the parking lot," Carter pointed out.

"Funny thing," Evan interjected. "Whoever stole his car gave it back."

"Did they steal anything?" Sam asked Kevin. He shook his head.

"No. That's the weird part," Kevin said. "They didn't take a thing. Makes me wonder what the hell they used my car for?"

Schooling their faces as best they could, Ben and Carter looked at each other. "Drag racing maybe?" Carter thought out loud.

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "In the daytime?"

"Anything's possible," Ben pointed out. Suddenly Tiny bumped into something, solidifying the fact that it couldn't see very well in the light.

"How much longer do we have until we can get rid of it?" Kevin grumbled.

"Her," Ben and Carter insisted before Carter said, "At least until nightfall. If we bring her out now she's a moving target. And since the DNAliens want to get their hands on that cup-link…"

Kevin cried out as Tiny began to chew on a piece of scenery. He ran over to try and stop her. "At least it isn't trying to eat your car!" Sam called out in the hopes that Kevin would calm down.

From the way he groaned, it was safe to say he didn't.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night<strong>

After Gwen was convinced that Tiny would be safer wherever she came from, the infant alien led them to the cave she emerged from. A broken, metallic bridge fed into the quarry. And, of course, there were DNAliens guarding the entrance.

Upon seeing the enemy, Tiny took her favorite toy and threw it at them, knocking the three aliens out. Once everyone else had caught up to her, Tiny pointed to the inside of the cave and, with a grunt, led them inside.

"I'm guessing it's this way," Evan said dryly to Gwen. She rolled her eyes and followed Tiny as she ran.

Tiny led them into the catacombs, where little deposits of citrine quartz clumped together sporadically against the walls. They couldn't admire the view though, since a DNAlien on a hover cart flew past them. They quickly ducked as it sped away, and then continued their search.

It took a while for them to find the nest where Tiny came from, but she eventually led them to her home. Unfortunately, the DNAliens were already there. Gwen was the first to spot what they were doing. "Look."

They looked. A machine was situated at the top of the cavern; a big bronze block with a hexagonal machine stacked on top. There was a circular window on the hexagon, and there was an antenna attached at the very top.

"Looks homey," Kevin joked in a serious tone.

"Looks evil," Sam pointed out.

"Good enough for me." He turned to Tiny and said in a rapid fire voice: "Okay, this looks like goodbye. See you and have a nice life."

Tiny gave him a confused grunt.

Kevin gave an easy-going grin. "Worth a shot." He led the way as they all ran under the manmade bridge leading up to the machine. It was like a highway, the traffic of DNAliens going to and from the cavern. They quickly ran up a hill, hiding behind quartz deposits and stalagmites as they neared a giant doorway. It was huge and bronze-colored, the metal seemingly worn away. A group of DNAliens were around it, another one in a red machine with a strange-looking drill contraption attached.

Tiny made noises of understanding and went around the hiding spot. Alarmed, Ben went to his Omnitrix. Gwen put a hand on his shoulder. "Stay and guard the door," she ordered him. "I'm going in." She ran to follow Tiny.

Evan asked the others, "Shouldn't one of us follow her?"

Sam gave a long-suffering sigh. "Fine, I'll go." She got up and went after Gwen.

"Be careful," Kevin said as she ran past him.

Sam climbed into what she could only describe as a ship. It had alien tech she'd never seen before, all bronze-like metal and circular designs on the wall. She didn't have much time to survey her surroundings as she heard the familiar grunts of Tiny and the click-clack sounds of Gwen's heels to her left.

Sam ran towards the sounds and found numerous pieces of clutter leaning against the wall. Stop signs, traffic lights, and other pieces of property; it was everything Tiny had stolen, thinking they were toys. The alien herself was sitting in front of three pod-like chambers. Two of them were gigantic, taking up half the space, while the third was miniscule in comparison.

"I'm guessing she was inside the stasis pod when she woke up," Sam said as she walked in. Gwen turned to her, surprised, before turning back to Tiny.

"Your parents are still inside their pods, aren't they," Gwen stated. The entire ship suddenly began to tremble.

"We need to go!" Sam shouted over the noise.

"We can't leave!" Gwen protested as the quaking finally stopped.

"The DNAliens are going to destroy this ship," Sam said in a calmer tone of voice. "We either leave the ship to fight or we can find some way to wake up the parents." She suddenly turned alarmed. "Do you hear fighting?"

Gwen cocked her head. She could indeed. "What do we do?"

Outside the ship, the DNAliens were drilling bedrock away from the metal. Once all the remaining debris had broken away, the DNAlien piloting the drill readied himself. And then it was realized that it wasn't a drill at all-the funny-looking tube at the end was a center point for a laser. Go figure.

As the laser slowly charged up, Ben put a hand over his Omnitrix. And then Evan put a hand on his shoulder. "I got this," he said as he walked out of the hiding spot.

"What is he…?" Kevin started before he saw Carter grinning.

"Keep watching. Evan's in his element."

Just as the laser fired, a boulder flew in front of it. The laser hit the rock, shattering to bits. And then the ground underneath the laser exploded, scattering the DNAliens surrounding it. The machine itself flew upwards, the passenger flung out of the cockpit like a rag doll. The machine fell over on its side away from the fight.

No one could see Evan, but they could hear him laughing, a sweet, mirthful sound that sounded mocking as it echoed throughout the catacombs. And then rock spires appeared out of the ground, jamming DNAliens in the sides. It didn't hurt them at all. In fact, it seemed to simply annoy them.

The mocking laughter grew softer, but only because a new sound could be heard. It sounded like pieces of earth crashing together like an ocean wave, if that made any sense at all. And then they saw Evan sliding across the floor on his own earthen tidal wave, wearing a horrible feral grin wide enough to show off his needle-sharp teeth.

The DNAliens began to attack, firing their handheld lasers at him. Slabs of earth sprung up beside Evan, taking the shots for him. And then with a wave of his arms the slabs moved, sliding across the ground and slamming into offending aliens.

Evan jumped down from his rock slide and landed feet first on an alien. With a stomp of his foot he brought up a disc of earth and grabbed it. With a giant heave he threw it like a discus, forcing it into the gut of a DNAlien. The force dragged it back into another, and another, and finally a third one until they slammed into the giant bronze doors.

He heard a shuffle next to him. Evan formed his wolfish grin and, pupils suddenly turning into slash marks, he turned his head to his next victim. The DNAlien, in a sudden panic, took a single step back. And that was all it took.

Crouching down to better his stance, Evan brought his arms together and threw them up. The ground trembled yet again; clods of dirt broke from the ground and levitated in the air, the conscious DNAliens standing on the islands. For a second the islands stood high in the air. All was silent.

Evan put his arms down.

The islands dropped back into the ground, creating a thunderous boom. A final quake could be felt, and dust flew everywhere. And then the dust rapidly settled; Evan was moving his arms rapidly in whirlwind motion, settling the mess before he could choke on the particles in the air.

With a clap to remove the dirt on his hands, Evan took in the sight of unconscious DNAliens littering the cove. He heard a whistle come from the ship the DNAliens were trying to break into. Sam was grinning, an impressed look on her face.

"Remind me next time not to get into an argument with you."

Evan smirked as his face slowly turned back to normal. "You'd just ignore me and argue some more."

Sam shrugged. "True." She turned inside. "Come on. You should see this." She turned to the others hiding in the background. "All of you."

* * *

><p><strong>Inside the ship<strong>

"So what do you think she was trying to do with all this…junk?" Ben asked as he waved a hand over the pile of clutter inside the ship.

"When she got out of her pod and saw that her parents weren't up, she toddled outside and grabbed stuff that looked like it could help," Gwen explained.

"Like…us?" Carter had to ask.

Kevin looked up from the control panel he was working on. "Think I got the stasis panel working," he announced.

"Good. Wake them up," Sam ordered.

The stasis pods instantly turned blue, and they slowly slid open. The pods revealed two creatures identical to Tiny, except larger in size. They opened their eyes and roared, slowly walking towards Tiny and cuddling her.

"D'aww, I love a happy ending," Evan joked, pretending to wipe away a tear.

"It's not an ending just yet," Sam reminded him.

Once Tiny was happily tucked away in her crib, the smaller of the species quickly explained the situation to the parents. "What do you mean this isn't Alpha Proxima?" one of them asked.

"And it's not 1952?" the other asked in a feminine voice.

"It's the 21st century," Ben explained.

"You're on the Earth," Kevin said.

"In the Earth, actually," Gwen pointed out.

"What are you doing underground?" Evan asked.

"No idea," the female alien said, mystified.

"We were travelling to the other side of your galaxy to colonize in suspended animation for the journey," the father explained.

"But some kind of temporal inclusion occurred while we were flying by the Earth that must have caused us to crash land here," the mother continued.

"In 1952," Ben exclaimed in realization.

"You think…" Carter said. She turned to the alien parents. "There was a time machine experiment that year that must have affected your ships engine."

"And when you crashed your ship dug a hole in the ground," Kevin noted.

"That filled in and grew over after all this time," Sam finished.

"We've been asleep underground for half a century?" the father repeated in a disbelieving tone. He stood up and walked over to the window.

"The DNAliens weren't digging for your ship," Evan quickly explained. "They just happened to find you down here."

"Lucky for you," Kevin added.

"I can't imagine why anyone would need this much crystal quartz for," the father said. "Maybe a teleporter grid?"

"Well, that just about solidifies that theory," Carter muttered under her breath as Tiny started to whimper. She was staring at Gwen for some reason.

"No honey," the mother said gently. "You can't keep her."

"Earthlings need to roam free," the father agreed. Tiny slumped in her crib dejectedly.

"What I can't figure is why translation circuits in our badges and Ben's watch didn't work on Tiny, but I understand you two just fine," Kevin said suddenly.

"Our daughter can't talk yet," the mother told him, smiling. "She's just a baby."

"Told you," Gwen teased. She went over to Tiny to say her final goodbyes. Evan suddenly got an idea and ran out of the ship. Sam and Carter looked at him strangely before turning to each other.

It took a while, but the happy family was finally able to leave Earth. They left nothing behind except a quarry full of fond memories and a room full of unconscious aliens (though that was Evan's doing).

Evan tapped Gwen on the shoulder and held out a closed hand. "I know you had some special connection to Tiny, so I made you this." He put a quartz figurine in her hand. It was almost like a tin-solder, but she could make out the features that perfectly matched her memory of Tiny.

Gwen gave a little gasp and wrapped Evan in a bear hug. "Thank you!" she cried.

Evan gave a weak chuckle. "Yeah, well, needed to end this on a feel good moment…" His voice trailed off and his body went slack. Gwen staggered back under his weight and struggled to put him gently on the ground. It was only thanks to Sam and Carter's help that he didn't fall on his face.

Lying on the ground, Evan looked weak and pale, but he still managed to stay awake.

"Dude, you were so close to ending this looking cool," Ben griped. Evan gave a weak chuckle.

"Yeah, well, at least this is still a feel good episode."

* * *

><p><em>In regards to Ben and Carter's actions in this chapter...if you had to take care of a baby but didn't want to, and you had other people who could take care of it for you, wouldn't you try to prolong the inevitable? I know I would. As for what happened in the car: 1) both were fully clothed, and 2) they didn't have sex. And no, I won't tell you what Carter did.<em>

_So, thoughts anyone?_


	58. Stalkers Amongst the Dragons

Chapter 58: Stalkers Amongst the Dragons

_Since I'm on summer vacation, I decided to post another chapter a week early just for the heck of it. XD This probably won't happen again any time soon, so don't expect it. _

_Also, I'm going to college in the fall, so pretty soon this story is going on hiatus while I get used to classes and life on campus. And then, since it's college, updates will not be as regularly as its always been. I will most definitely continue this story, but school comes first. _

_By the way, can you spot the Harry Potter reference in this chapter? Hint: it has something to do with Gryffindor. Also, that Future Diary quote is actually from Mirai Nikki Abridged by Yunoinbox. You gotta admit, it perfectly describes Yuno's state of mind._

* * *

><p>Carter really should have been studying. She had a math test coming up, and while she detested the subject with a burning passion, she didn't want her grade to drop. Unfortunately, with the looming threat of the High Breed invasion, things like studying and school seemed so miniscule in comparison. Also, it was a really nice day out and her mind couldn't help but wander away.<p>

It was why Carter liked the distraction of Evan dropping in so much.

Evan folded his mismatched wings and walked through the open balcony door. He looked much better than a few nights prior, where he had collapsed after using too much of his powers. He was grinning, his eyes lit up mischievously as he held something behind his back.

"Guess what I got," he sang as he danced towards Carter. She stood away from her desk and sauntered up to him, a glint in her eyes.

"Let me guess," Carter drawled out. "You got my special delivery."

"Do you remember the rule?" Evan asked in mock seriousness.

She held up her hand and dramatically put the other over her heart. "I solemnly swear that I will not tell Sam about these items for she will burn them to a crisp."

Satisfied, Evan brandished the developed photos and put them in Carter's hands. "I still can't believe you haven't got caught taking those pictures."

"I still can't believe you let me talk you into developing them," she answered back gleefully as she poured over the pictures. There were three in all, all of Ben during his last soccer practice. He was dressed in his uniform, goalie gloves on and all. The pictures were nothing particularly special (they were clearly shot by an amateur photographer) but in all three pictures Ben looked intensely focused, a triumphant smirk on his face.

"What I want to know is why stalk him," Evan said with a raised eyebrow. "I'm sure if you just ask him-"

"No, he'd be embarrassed if I asked," Carter cut him off.

He shook his head. "You'd make a perfect Yuno Gasai, you know that?"

Carter raised an eyebrow, and then suddenly put the photos on her desk. A glazed, slightly crazy look washed over her face as she stared dreamily at Evan. She brought her hands up to her face, cupping them like in that scene from _Future Diary_. And then, in a sickly sweet voice, she said:

"I just traveled to a parallel universe and killed myself in order to take my own place. And I did it _all for the sake of love_."

Evan's eye twitched. "That's...freakishly accurate."

Dropping her hands, Carter smirked. In her normal voice, she said, "Still consider me a yandere?"

Evan shook his head. "No, you're more like a well-meaning stalker. If there ever was such a thing," he added as an afterthought.

Carter rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You have something to tell me don't you?" She focused on Evan's few ticks when it came to beating around the bush. They were impossible to find unless you knew him for several years.

Evan immediately wiped the jovial smile off his face. "New shipments just came in. Grandpa Raph says you need to upgrade before the invasion."

Carter heaved a sigh, feeling a weight suddenly press on her shoulders. "Okay. Just let me hide these." Evan stepped to the side as she stomped her foot on the wooden panels next to her bed. A hollow ringing sang out as a block of the floor slid away, revealing a square hole. It was only a few feet deep with one object inside: a photo album. The album was old and thrifty and small, something that was clearly bought on clearance. It was no wider than a phonebook, and only an inch thick.

When Carter got it out and opened it, she revealed that half the pages had already been filled. The first few pages had pictures of Ben at ten years old, showing him hanging out with Carter and Sam and Evan for the few weeks they knew each other. He was often smiling into the camera, or laughing, or doing something goofy.

From the fourth page on it was all teenage Ben, this time with his attention focused elsewhere. Carter smiled as she flipped past the pages of him sleeping on her couch. She had finally downloaded the pictures off her phone and onto her computer, printing them in color. She had spent hours deleting all evidence from her phone and laptop, but it was well worth it.

Evan whistled as he spied the later pictures. "How are you not Yuno?"

Carter found an empty page and slid in the photos. "I'm not an anime character."

He clapped her once on the shoulder. "Whatever. Let's go."

* * *

><p><strong>Underground<strong>

Like all good secret hideouts, Slayer headquarters was deep underground. Its tunnels spread like intricate spider webs underneath Bellwood's unsuspecting populace. And since the underground city was connected to headquarters, that made it all the more easy to walk to the armory in the middle of town.

Carter and Evan walked down the cobblestone streets into the small armory they frequented. It was a small shop, not unlike something found in a videogame. Along the stone walls were rows and rows of weapons: axes, swords, assault rifles, and other goodies for murder. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, but instead of jewels knives of all shapes and sizes hung.

The old lady behind the desk looked up from her magazine with a scowl on her face. She gave a curt nod at the back door and went back to reading. Carter and Evan strolled past her and into the dimly lit room.

The room was a thin rectangular shape with thirteen oak desks placed haphazardly inside. Sam was already in there, sharpening her dual Dao swords on an automatic press, creating noise and summoning sparks to fly around her. She briefly looked up, smiled, and gestured with her head to the left of her before going back to work.

Carter turned around to see an older man in the room. He had nearly blended into the room thanks to his drab clothing: brown cargo pants and a black t-shirt. He was supposed to be young, but the scars on his angular face and muscular arms gave him the impression of old age. It wasn't helped by his solemn dark green eyes hidden by thick horn rimmed glasses. He blinked owlishly at them, his face half hidden by brown hair that fell past his shoulders.

Suddenly the man broke out into a grin, making him seem like a much younger man. He brought up his hands and quickly signed: _Miss me?_

Well-versed in American Sign Language, Carter answered back: _Not as much as Evan._

Evan grinned and shouted, "Grandpa Raph!" He immediately leaped into his arms, allowing himself to be spun around like a small child. Raph eventually put him down and the two began to converse with their hands.

Carter walked towards Sam, weaving around the tables silently. She waited for her friend to finish sharpening her blade. "Your turn," the redhead said as the Goth summoned her scythe.

As she went to work, Sam bobbed around the tables, picking up random weapons and examining them. She didn't really need to pick out new weapons. She already had her trusted items as charms on her silver bracelet, and if they happened to fail, she could use her powers against the High Breed. First rule of Slayer school was to never depend on your powers in any situation, but this time around the breach in rules could probably be forgiven.

Once Evan had finished catching up with his grandfather, he went over to Sam. He leaned close to her so they could talk over the noise. "What weapon are you getting?"

"I have everything I need. You?"

Evan held up his charm bracelet, finally revealing the kinds of weapons he had on there: two Colt M1911 pistols, a sniper assault rifle, a shield, a katana, an axe, and a metal baseball bat. "I'm thinking of upgrading my rifle."

"Will you have enough time to get used to it?" Sam asked as the sharpening noises stopped and started up again. Carter had begun work on her athame.

Evan shrugged. "Probably."

Raph chose that moment to tap Evan on the shoulder. He quickly signed: _How is Ben's team doing?_

Evan leaned over to say, "Pretty good, considering. The High Breed haven't invaded yet so they're treating it as the calm before the storm."

Raph nodded and moved his hands. _We have a few weeks. Pick out new weapons if you want and train with them. We don't have much time._

Evan and Sam nodded as Carter finally stopped sharpening her weapons. Everyone turned to her as she willed her athame back into its charm form and slowly got up from the press. When she looked up and saw everyone staring at her, she gave a confused, "What?"

* * *

><p><strong>Later<strong>

Everyone had gone their separate ways, Carter to study math, Evan to play videogames or catching up on Doctor Who, and Sam to Kevin's house.

Truth be told, Kevin hadn't told anyone where he lived. He had kept it fairly secret, saying that the garage he occasionally used to house his car was his friend's, when it was obviously his own. He may have felt embarrassed, since he was technically an ex-con who didn't have much in the way of parental guidance. Sam didn't hold him against him though. It was probably a hard thing for him to talk about, and besides, it wasn't like there was a good time for the subject to be brought up.

Sam walked up the driveway in time to see Mrs. Levin get out of her car with groceries. She was a pretty lady, clad in black. She had almost a meek presence to her thanks to her soft facial features and her stature. She looked up when she heard Sam walk up the driveway.

"Hello," Mrs. Levin said, eyeing the redhead.

Sam smiled brightly. "Hi, Mrs. Levin? I'm here to see Kevin."

The older lady relaxed a bit. "Are you Sam?"

"Yes I am."

"Kevin's told me a lot about you," Mrs. Levin said, a soft smile on her face. "He's in the garage."

"Do you need help with the groceries?" Sam asked politely. The older woman shook her head.

"No, just go right in."

Sam left her there, walking into the open garage. The Dodge Challenger was inside, and Kevin himself was under the hood. "Kevin?"

Startled, Kevin got out from under the car and looked at her. "Sam? What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," she stated. "So you live with your mother?"

Kevin grimaced as he blushed. "What of it?"

Sam arched an eyebrow. "Nothing. Do you feel embarrassed by it?"

"No!" he said too quickly. He slowed down. "I…I just figured that with all the drama going on back when I was a kid, it'd be weird if you found out." He averted his eyes nervously.

"Kevin, you're sixteen," Sam stated. "If you didn't live with a parent or guardian Social Services would be on your ass."

"So you knew?"

"I pieced it together." Kevin sat up properly as Sam kneeled down to face him. "There's something else bothering you isn't there?"

Kevin looked at her, surprised. "How'd you know?"

"I know you well enough."

He rolled his eyes. "Right…"

Sam pressed on. "So what's bothering you?"

He opened his mouth, closed it, and then said, "Did you get a letter in the mail about my test results?"

She shook her head. "You're supposed to get that."

"Then why haven't I got it yet?" Kevin snapped. "It should have been here by now!"

"Kevin, it's been three weeks," Sam said calmly. "They're not going to grade that test in such a short amount of time."

"Okay, yeah, but…" He trailed off, hunching over in a hopeless manner. "I just…I want it before…"

"Before the High Breed invade," Sam finished for him. She thought for a moment before asking, "Isn't it better if you don't know now?"

Kevin stared at her. "How?"

"Well, let's say you had the results in your hands right now," she continued. "And let's say you failed. You'd be in a funk for weeks, thinking you weren't smart enough for school, or you weren't good enough, or whatever. By the time the High Breed invade, you'd be a useless wreck.

"Now let's say you passed. You've got your GED and you're happy. You're looking for a decent job when suddenly the DNAliens attack. You get injured in battle, or you die, and suddenly your bright future goes up in flames."

"But what if I don't die?" Kevin asked curiously.

"Then you might have missed an interview or some other opportunity," Sam said. "The point is it's probably better if you didn't know right at this moment."

Kevin thought for a good long moment before saying, "I get what you're saying, but I don't really agree with it."

She shrugged. "That's fine."

"So what are you doing here, really?" Kevin asked.

"I wanted to see you," she repeated. "I don't know, I guess I just wanted to hang out or something, just the two of us."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

"Well, yeah."

Kevin put away the tool in his hand. "Let me finish up here and we'll go somewhere. I don't really feel like working on my car anyway."

Sam narrowed her eyes. "Who are you and what have you done with Kevin Levin?"

He snorted. "Hey, sometimes my therapy doesn't work on me. Especially since the invasion's about to happen," he added as an afterthought.

Sam stood up and smoothed out her skirt. "My sentiments exactly."

"Okay, I'll finish up and you think of where to go."

Sam would have, but the voice of Mrs. Levin suddenly rang out in her ears. With a devious little smile on her face, she asked, "So you talk about me to your mother?"

Kevin's red cheeks and sudden spluttering were all the answer she needed.

* * *

><p><strong>In Phineas's Basement<strong>

Ben had always found Sundays to be fairly boring. A few months back he would have spent most of the day doing homework, or watching TV, or playing videogames. Laziness seemed to permeate through the air on that particular day, since it was the day after the much-anticipated Saturday and before the universally-hated Monday. Even after he had started his weekly training with Phineas the feeling hadn't changed much, since the time pocket warped the hours and minutes so splendidly.

But after yet another beating courtesy of Phineas, the groggy, lazy Sunday feeling seemed to leave Ben. At least, that was what it felt like when his eyes opened inside the healing pod. Everything except his face was submerged in a liquid that smelled like herbs and cough syrup. A breathing mask was attached to his face, connected to a tube that pumped sweet, clean air into his mouth and nostrils.

Suddenly the tube was receding, a whirring sound travelling over the water. The mask unattached itself, snaking away and disappearing into the pod's metallic walls. The water pooled around him quickly drained away, leaving the smell of medicine.

The glass door slowly opened, lifting itself up so Ben was assaulted with cool air. He sat and up and rubbed his arms, trying to get rid of the bumps when there was a sudden flash. He winced from the bright light and turned to his left. There was another flash, and Ben closed his eyes to protect his irises.

When he finally opened them, a towel was immediately thrown at his head. He quickly used it to dry off his hair before yet another flash nearly burned his eyes. Except this time he heard a faint click noise. Irritated Ben looked up to see Newt standing before him, a digital camera in his hands.

Newt stared at Ben's furious face and smirked. "Carter's going to _love_ these pictures."

Blushing madly he tried to get out of the tub only to remember that he was still naked. He searched around for his clothes to find them a least twenty feet, folded innocently behind Newt. Ben glared at him.

"Give me my clothes."

"Make me, naked guy."

"You asshole!" Ben swore before he suddenly got a better look at Newt. He seemed worse than the last time he saw him. His skin was translucent and stretched across his bones, giving him a somewhat skeletal appearance. His eyes were sunken and bright with fever, and he stood slightly hunched over.

"What happened to you?" Ben rasped.

Newt smiled a weak, sardonic smile. "Training for the High Breed invasion. I'm not used to what you and Kitty went through, so I'm not taking it well. I need another session in the healing pod," he added as an afterthought.

Ben stared at him. He never looked like that after one of Phineas's training sessions, did he? Sure, he may have seemed tired or pale, but thanks to the healing pods he never looked dead on his feet. He had never needed multiple healing sessions at any point. Just what kind of training was Newt going through?

Newt suddenly handed over Ben's clothes. "Phineas needs you in the armory. I need to lead you there, so get dressed." He then turned around and walked to the back of the room to give Ben his privacy.

Ben quickly toweled off and dressed and both boys soon left the metal room. Newt seemed to walk slower than usual-another sign that he needed medical attention. Ben tried not to notice too much.

Finally they arrived at the Carmichael armory, if you could call it that. It was really just a small room hidden away in the middle of a hallway. The doorway was cleverly hidden behind a large painting of a fat lady in a Greek dress sitting before a mausoleum.

The inside was musty but littered with weapons of all types. Guns, swords, halberds, the whole works. Phineas was in the middle of the room, swinging around a dark gray sword and a gray sheath that looked like a cleaver. A black ribbon was tied around his arm, connected to the blade. He swung both sword and sheath around, practicing movements that Ben had never seen before.

"He's here," Newt announced as they walked further into the room. Phineas finished his set before putting the blade away. He quickly unwound the ribbon from his arm and set the weapon against the wall.

"Newt, go back to the healing chamber," Phineas ordered as he walked up to them. "Think you can make it?"

Newt puffed out his chest indignantly. "Who do you think I am?"

The older man smiled sardonically. "Alright then." Newt left in a huff, leaving the two alone.

"What the hell is going on with Newt?" was the first thing Ben asked. "He looks half-dead!"

Phineas sighed. "I have an inkling but I'd rather not say. Personal reasons," he added as his grandson looked at him. Ben just shook his head.

"So what did you need me for?"

Phineas dug something out of his back pocket and held it out. Ben took it in his hands and examined it. It was a small gold tube no wider than his thumb. He looked at Phineas in puzzlement.

"Give it a little juice," he said. Ben wrapped his fingers around the item and put some electricity into it. Suddenly the tube elongated, becoming so tall that it towered over him. The tube became thicker until he needed two hands to wrap around. Perched right at the top of the pole was a gold eagle, its wings stretched out as if it were about to take flight.

"Cool," Ben breathed, taking in the beautiful features of the predator.

"Hold out your arm," Phineas said. Not paying attention, he stuck out his bare arm. Phineas suddenly grabbed it; the second he made contact Ben felt a burning sensation. With a yelp he brought back his arm, letting go of the pole. Before the eagle could hit the floor it suddenly shrunk in size, the pole becoming the tiny tube once more. Ben didn't notice as he gripped his arm in pain.

"What the hell did you do that for?" he snarled as the pain started to go away.

"Sorry. I would have told you, but then you would've resisted," Phineas explained flippantly. "Look at your arm."

Ben turned his arm so he was looking at the inside. Starting from his wrist and stretching to almost his elbow was a Latin saying. In neat, black print, it said: _Memores sint reprobi._

_**Remember the fallen, **_Ventus said in Ben's head. _**Poetic, no?**_

"Remember the fallen?" Ben parroted back, looking at Phineas. He was holding the tube with his fingers, idly twisting it around.

"Whenever you summon the eagle, shout out that phrase in Latin and put as much power as you can into pole," Phineas said. "You should probably use it as a last resort weapon against the High Breed."

"What does it do?"

"It concentrates your electricity into this supercharged form and sends out this blast," Phineas explained. "It'll take up most of your energy, so I repeat: you should probably use it as a last resort."

Ben nodded and looked at the saying imprinted into his skin. Suddenly the black ink started to lighten. It was disappearing into his skin, becoming so that it was never there.

"It's gone!" he said stupefied.

"Good, it's supposed to," Phineas said flippantly. He held up the tube and said seriously, "Remember Ben, only four people can use this: the two of us, Ezekiel, and Sam. No one else can. They not only need the power to charge it, but they must also say the incantation in Latin to activate it."

"Decent failsafe," Ben noted. "But why that saying in particular?"

"You'll know it when you use it," Phineas said cryptically. "Trust me."

* * *

><p><strong>Later<strong>

Cordelia and Isaac were standing before a coffin. The wood was lacquered and dark, with a rose centerpiece carved into its middle. It was quite lovely, though it probably shouldn't have been hidden away in a dark cavern.

Cordelia walked up to the coffin, her slit skirt swishing around her pale legs. She opened the casket, revealing ebony boxes stacked inside. She brought one out, revealing the Chinese dragons carefully carved on it.

"You sure you don't want to use these?" Cordelia asked Isaac. "These would help."

Isaac slowly shook his head, the sorrow evident in his manner. "No. Not yet."

As Cordelia put the box away, they could hear footsteps behind them. Lucille, Raphael, and Phineas were strolling towards them, Lucille leading the way with her short flaming hair. She extinguished the fire when she came up to them.

Phineas stood between Isaac and Cordelia as Lucille clung to Raphael's arm. The five of them stared at the closed coffin in silence.

"So many lives…" Isaac choked out finally. Phineas put a hand on his shoulder.

"You've been making amends for so many years," he told him. "This will just be another one."

"And think about how great it'll be once we defeat the Unbeatable Monster," Lucille said brightly. "You're entire conquest will finally be over."

"It'll be over sooner than you think," Cordelia said gently. "Right now we need to focus on the next few weeks. We have so little time, and our children need us." Raph nodded his head solemnly to drive the point home.

Isaac sighed, his shoulders sagging. He seemed so much older, and yet he didn't feel wiser at all. "Everything's for the kids, huh?"

"Someone has to teach them how to run the world," Phineas pointed out lightly.

"Even if we'll be hated in the end," Lucille chimed in.

"All for the children," Cordelia repeated as the coffin loomed before them.

* * *

><p><em>In case you were wondering: Chinese dragons traditionally have control over water, rainfall, hurricanes, and floods. You can see why I used them here. XD<em>

_So, thoughts anyone?_


	59. Let Out the Dogs of Bellwood

Chapter 59: Let Out the Dogs of Bellwood

"_Let slip the dogs of war" is from William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. "Let slip" sounded kind of lame though, so I changed it up a little. Also, Ben's Zeus pose is something I found on Google images. It's pretty cool._

_By the way, the reason this chapter is up a day early is because I'm getting my wisdom teeth out tomorrow. I probably could upload it tomorrow, but then I'd be high as a kite due to the painkillers. So yeah, early update. You're welcome._

_P.S., this chapter is slightly M-rated because of this one little word I used. It's totally OOC for this character, but it drives home just how fed up he is with the High Breed. So please, just bear with me here._

* * *

><p><strong>A few weeks later<strong>

"You're quitting the soccer team?" Carter asked as she turned on her digital camera.

Ben, who was clad in his soccer uniform and putting items in a duffel bag, responded. "Yeah, I figured that after the High Breed invasion everyone will know I'm alive and will either want my help or try to kill me. If it's the latter there'll be less collateral damage if they attack me at the field. In either case it'll be one less obligation for me to worry about."

"How pragmatic," Carter mused and Ben hoisted the duffel bag onto his shoulder. She held up the camera. "Can I take a picture? I've never really seen you wear a soccer uniform and in a couple months you'll be done, so…"

With a good-natured eye roll and a smile he put down the bag and posed like Zeus, one hand pointed in front of him, the other over his head, lightning fizzling out of his hand to create a spear. Carter quickly snapped a shot, examined it, and said, "Okay, looks good."

Taking back the lightning, Ben straightened up. "You happy?"

Carter pursed her lips. "Can we do one with you posed as The Thinker?" Ben stared at her before sitting on the bed and taking the position. Carter took the picture and then said, "Now how about Charlie's Angels?" She dodged a pillow to her head.

As Ben hoisted his duffel bag over his shoulder, Carter got out her phone and examined the text she just received. It was Cordelia, no surprise there. _Found trouble. Go to HQ._

"I gotta go." Carter kissed Ben on the cheek and opened his window. "Call you later?"

"Sure thing." He waved goodbye as Carter climbed out the window and disappeared. Suddenly Carl appeared, his head swiveling around, looking for the girl. He leaned his hands against the window frame and asked:

"Can't she use the door like a normal person?"

* * *

><p><strong>Underneath Bellwood…<strong>

Carter found Evan and Sam sitting against the wall of Slayer HQ, Evan eating Skittles and Sam with her nose buried in math notes. The two of them looked up as she approached. As she slid down the wall to sit, Carter got out her iPod and hit the play button, the tinny sounds of Linkin Park evident.

It took awhile, but Cordelia finally walked past them. On cue the Pride stood up and walked behind her, Evan shoving the rest of the candy in his mouth, Carter winding up her headphones, and Sam just holding the notebook. They walked silently into a small room with a hole in the ground where there should have been desks.

When the door was closed, a metal ring appeared out of the hole. Blue LED lights appeared above the ring, swirling together before creating a holographic image of enormous spaceships attacking planets.

"When did the High Breed invasion start?" Sam asked immediately.

"Two days ago," Cordelia responded. The hologram shifted to show other images, this time of destroyed planets. What were once eclectic worlds were now brown and black, their past glories turned to ash. "The High Breed wasted no time in decimating a good chunk of the universe."

Now the hologram shifted to show a small green planet with a ring on the surface. "Galvan Prime," Carter said grimly.

"The armada is nearing that particular planet, no doubt thinking taking out some of the smartest beings in three galaxies would improve their chances of victory," Cordelia told them. "We've dispatched Slayer operatives just about everywhere, helping the Plumbers and taking in refugees. We would help Azmuth, but we're spread too thin."

"I'm betting either Azmuth has an escape plan or Professor Paradox will intervene," Evan noted. "He's too important to lose."

"Either way Galvan Prime is going to be another in a long list of casualties," Cordelia went on. "And knowing the High Breed, their next stop is Earth."

"Naturally," Sam said dryly. "What do you suggest we do?"

"At the moment, nothing," Cordelia said. "You can't really do anything until the armada nears Earth. I would send you out already, but the three of you alone could barely take out a fighter ship." The Pride grimaced at that.

Her voice turned gentle. "Besides, you're needed here. Ben needs all the help he can get. And if my calculations are correct, this could be the starting point of a better alliance."

"You mean between the Slayers and Plumbers," Carter stated.

Cordelia nodded, smiling. "If we work together on this and we all survive relations should be smoother from now on. Oh, there'll still be some animosity, but the tolerance between us would grow. That's all we're really asking."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "We?"

"Isaac and I," Cordelia corrected herself. "We're hoping for better relations."

"The better for politics," Evan said with a bitter smile.

"Or I could be genuinely hoping for this." Cordelia raised an eyebrow. "Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I have a heart?"

"You told me you lost that five millennia ago," Carter said.

Cordelia sighed. "Just go, and be on call when I need you."

As the Pride left, Evan put a hand to his mouth. With a worried look on his face, he said, "I think I'm re-tasting the rainbow." Carter and Sam, without looking at him, put a hand on his back.

"You worried, then?" Carter asked.

"Oh, hell yes," Evan said as he swallowed saliva. "Aren't you?"

"I'm feeling calm actually," Sam admitted. "It probably won't sink in until just before the battle."

"Same here," Carter said.

"So I'm the only one about to throw up?"

"Yup!" they both said in unison.

Evan groaned. "Great…"

* * *

><p><strong>In the Valentine kitchen<strong>

They found Newt eating cheesecake.

He looked better than what Ben described. According to him, the last time he saw Newt the boy was practically a walking corpse, with waxen skin and dull, sunken eyes. Except Newt, despite having the Valentine pale skin, had a healthy glow surrounding him now. His eyes were bright and full of joy as he ate his snack, devouring the strawberries imbedded at the top.

Newt looked up as they walked in. "Hi guys," he said through a mouthful of cake.

"Dude, you have cheesecake?" Evan asked, giving Newt a slap on the back and a hug.

The blonde swallowed. "Found it in the fridge. There's, like, a giant cake of it."

"Awesome. You guys want some?" Evan pointed a finger at the two girls. They both nodded.

As he went to get plates, Carter asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too cuz."

"You know what I mean," she snapped lightly.

"Cordelia told me the final battle was today so she ordered me to hightail it here," Newt answered before shoving more cake in his mouth.

Carter and Sam exchanged a look. "Newt, I love you like a brother, but there is no way we're letting you on the battlefield," Carter told him.

"Though he's really good with defense spells," Sam pointed out. "Isaac always told us a good defense is a good offense."

"Yeah, but you can't really use that advice," Evan said as he cut cake into equal slices. "Fire is all about offense, so you've had to woefully neglect your defensive skills."

"That's true. And that's why it might be a good idea to bring Newt along," Sam said. "We could just hide him in the back while he uses his powers."

"Yeah, but using his powers always put a serious strain on him," Carter reminded them. "Even if he uses the bare minimum of spells, it'll only be a matter of time before he collapses."

"You do realize I'm right here, don't you?" Newt said annoyed.

"Oh we do," Evan said as he set down plates.

"I've been training with Isaac for a while now," Newt went on. "I'm still not good at offense, but I make a much better defense. And he taught me this super secret technique that'll really help us."

"Really? What is it?" Evan asked.

"Super secret, remember?"

"Right…"

"So you'll be fine?" Carter interjected.

Newt shrugged and lied through his teeth. "That honestly depends on how bad the fighting is, but yeah, I should be."

"Good," she said visibly relieved. Evan smiled, happy with the outcome. Sam was a bit more suspicious. She decided to sweeten the incentive to live.

"Newt, if you live through this, I will get you any kind of cheesecake you want," she vowed. Everyone stared at her, shocked.

Newt gave her a suspicious look. "Even the chocolate sampler kind?"

Sam nodded. "Even the chocolate sampler kind."

He held out his hand. "It's a deal." They shook on it. And with that came ten minutes of laughter and eating, of four kids enjoying each other's company. They didn't even mind cleaning up after themselves.

And then came the text message.

_Galvan-Prime desolated. Armada heading towards Earth. Meet up at these coordinates._

* * *

><p><strong>Evening<strong>

The Pride was clad in their fighting gear, faceless masks attached at their waists. They walked towards the Dodge Challenger in the parking lot. Kevin was leaning against it, scowling. Gwen was standing around, tense. Ben was walking towards the car, smoothie in hand. And of course there was Professor Paradox, accompanied with Azmuth of all people.

Once everyone was situated, Kevin initiated the conversation. "What was so important that I had to miss the auto show?"

"The imminent destruction of your primitive world and all who live here," Azmuth said atop Kevin's car.

"But hey, if you'd rather go look at a convertible, by all means," Sam said jokingly to Kevin.

"Hate to say it, but the High Breeds are coming this way," Evan said solemnly.

"Really?" Gwen asked. "How long have they been attacking?"

"We've been fighting them for weeks Gwen," Ben said dryly. "You tell me."

"I meant how long have they been attacking other planets," she snapped.

"A couple of days at the most," Azmuth answered. "They've already conquered my home world, the only planet with the technology to fight them head on."

"And their next target is Earth, the only other place that's been showing any hint of resistance," Evan continued for them.

"Yes," Azmuth agreed. "The High Breed attack plan has worked on dozens of worlds. They send a small number of High Breed to the target planet."

"Then infiltrate the locals by turning them into DNAlien slaves," Paradox went on.

"And use the slaves to build a jump gate," Kevin said.

"Correct." Azmuth nodded. "A hyperspace jump gate is an interstellar shortcut allowing the High Breed to send war ships across the galaxy in a matter of seconds."

"Three of us could barely take down one," Ben pointed out. He turned to the Pride. "How about you?"

"You guys never took down a war ship," Sam told them. "It was a small cruiser."

While Gwen and Kevin looked shocked, Ben just grumbled, "That's encouraging."

"On the plus side, the three of us did take down a war ship," Carter pointed out. "Granted we were nearly killed in the process, but we still took it down."

"No force on this planet could destroy a single High Breed warship," Azmuth went on. "They will send hundreds."

"Yeah, okay, we get it," Kevin groaned. "We're hosed."

"Unless we stop them before they complete the hyperspace jump gate," Paradox said.

"It should be simple enough to find," Azmuth said, "even if they cloak it."

"It'd have to be someplace with an abnormal supply of quartz crystal," Paradox went on, "to stabilize the matter transmission frequency."

"The abandoned quartz mine near Lo Soledad," Sam stated. "We did our research."

"They're also building a giant arch at the old army base," Evan pointed out.

"So we know where we gotta go, and we know what we gotta do," Kevin said darkly.

"Direct approach," Gwen stated.

Ben took off his soccer jersey, revealing his black t-shirt. "Direct but not stupid." Everyone smiled at him proudly. "We met a bunch of Plumber's kids with superpowers and a lot of them owe us favors." He put on his jacket. "I say we call them in."

"May I suggest you send your teammates out for that job?" It was technically a question, but Azmuth made it seem like an order.

"Why?" Ben questioned.

"I would have a word with the wielder of my Omnitrix…in private," the grey alien said seriously.

"Right, like I'm going to miss this," Kevin sneered. "See you when you get back guys."

"Kevin, if you don't go, I'll tell everyone your middle name," Sam said in a neutral tone.

"Bye, Ben, see you later," Kevin said as he hurried away.

"We'll split up here," Carter told Ben. "We got about three people who we think can help us."

"You're talking about…"

She put a hand on his shoulder. "You'll have to put up with it for now, Tennyson."

"I'll stick with Gwen and Levin," Evan said, moving over to Paradox. He nodded to Sam. "You'll have a better chance of convincing them than the rest of us."

Sam rolled her eyes and groaned as she and Carter shadow travelled away.

* * *

><p><strong>To the lab!<strong>

Sam and Carter finally ended up in Beck's lab. All traces of a DNAlien attack were gone. The scorch marks had been cleared and the gunk gone, replaced with the familiar clutter of a mad man's lair. Beck himself was situated beside a small metal machine that looked suspiciously like a dragon. Charlie was beside him, melting bronze and reforming it as Beck instructed.

Sam put two fingers to her lips and gave a sharp whistle. Beck dropped his tools with a loud curse. Charlie turned the metal into a little ball and set it against the table, where it continued to melt.

"What's up?" he asked pleasantly.

"Earth's under attack and we need your help," Sam said. Now was not the time to beat around the bush.

"Ben doesn't want our help," Beck pointed out bitterly.

"Yeah, well, he's sucking it up because the planet's about to be destroyed," Carter said sharply. "Are you coming with us or not?"

Charlie shrugged. "Sure." He turned to Beck. "How about you?"

Beck groaned and said, "Fine. Let me just grab some tools." He went over to his yellow toot belt and strapped it on. He then went over to the closet and started inserting tools into the belt's many compartments.

"Oh, yeah, how's that carbon project going along?" Sam suddenly remembered, snapping her fingers as the thought dawned on her.

"I just finished testing it," Beck answered. "I was going to set up an appointment with Cordelia and Isaac tomorrow, but with the alien invasion…"

"What exactly do you use for carbon anyway?" Carter asked. "I know it's in diamonds, but we can't use that as a power source."

"Well, you know the rumors of the cleanup crew, right?" Beck said. "You know; how those people gather up the dead bodies and drive them to a plant where they're purified so that Isaac and Cordelia can use the body parts as transplants for their patients?"

"I'm well aware of those rumors circulating, yes," Carter said with a hint of bitterness.

"Well, if that's true, then I was guessing Cordelia and Isaac would like the carbon machine," Beck went on almost excitedly. "Since carbon is in everything, even humans, whatever your grandparents don't use they can feed into the machine and power up weapons or something."

"That's gruesome, Beck," Sam told him, a shade green.

Carter stroked her chin in a meditative gesture. "Gruesome, yes, but useful. And if the rumors are true, then it'll be less gruesome than that conspiracy going around a few years back."

"Conspiracy?" Charlie raised an eyebrow.

"Supposedly a few years back, there was this company who transported bones from hospital to hospital for transplants," Carter explained. "Normally transplants have the consent of the old owner or family, but these bones were actually from morgues and were diseased and rotted. Naturally they were found out, but it took several years."

Everyone looked green at the face at that. "That's disgusting," Beck squeaked out.

"Incredibly so. Though if the rumors are true, than what Cordelia and Isaac are doing is the same thing, except the transplants have been purified," Carter mused.

"But those transplants came from criminals," Beck protested quickly. "They don't deserve those limbs or organs!"

Carter held up her arms in surrender. "And I agree. But society doesn't see it that way."

"Fuck society!" Beck proclaimed.

Sam gave a slow clap, smiling. "This is insightful and everything, but we have a war to win. Let's roll."

* * *

><p><strong>In Cooper's Lab<strong>

Paradox led them to Cooper's lab, where the blonde boy was saying, "Work's like a charm."

"Cooper?" Gwen asked tentatively. He turned around to see the gang behind him.

"Gwen!" His face lit up. "How'd you get in here?" He then added, "I don't care, it's great to see you." Cooper ran over to hug her, only to phase right through her. Evan took that moment to notice that Cooper looked vaguely transparent.

He quickly stepped back and pressed a button on his red glove. "Intangibility glove," he explained apologetically. "Still experimental, but I can use it to create an exceptional field to three dimensional physics, defying-"

"Maybe you can tell me about it later," Gwen quickly interrupted. "I need a favor."

"Anything for you, Gwen," Cooper said with a lovesick look on his face.

"Now how many times do you hear that in a lifetime?" Evan asked rhetorically. Despite his joking manner, he had to hand it to the young genius: he knew the right words to a young lady's heart.

"Kind of sucks, considering we're asking him to risk his life and all," Kevin noted with a shrug.

"…What," Cooper said flatly.

"We're going back to Lo Soledad to fight the High Breed," Gwen quickly explained. "You don't have to go if you don't want to."

Bits and pieces of robotic material started to flow around Cooper. "If you're going…" With a blinding flash of light the robot bits became a giant mechanical suit, red and silver and totally badass.

"…then so am I," he finished at the top of his awesome robot.

* * *

><p><strong>At Mount Rushmore, about twenty minutes later<strong>

Beck, Charlie, and Newt were leaning against some of the consoles connected to the supercomputers. Sam and Carter were standing around the machine that would bring an unlikely ally to the renegade army. Alan was nearby, lit up like a birthday candle. They all turned suddenly when a flash of blue light appeared in the center of the room, bringing Professor Paradox, Kevin, Gwen, Evan, and Cooper in his robot suit.

Beck took one look at the suit and said, "Badass."

"It is indeed," Newt commented solemnly. "So, what're we doing here exactly?"

"Bringing Dark Star," Gwen said. Everyone who knew who that was started.

"Really?" Sam had to ask. "We're bringing your stalker here?"

"Stalker?" Cooper squeaked.

"He's not my stalker," Gwen said hotly.

"You mean, when he's not after us, trying to steal our life force," Carter snapped.

"Yeah, he's a real swell guy to be around," Kevin said sarcastically.

"Cooper, work the machine," Gwen ordered him. Meekly the boy genius went to work, putting wires together to reconnect the Null Void projector. Beck strolled over to help, and Cooper quickly made room for him.

It took a long time, but eventually the two got the projector operational. "Okay, we're all set to go," Beck said standing up and clapping his hands. He sent a worried look Gwen's way. "You're sure about this?"

"Ben said all the help we can get," Gwen pointed out.

"Okay," Cooper sighed before turning on the machine. A red light appeared out of the center, and Dark Star was there, stuck in his prison.

"Free!" Dark Star shouted. He touched the red wall only to be painfully repelled back.

"Did you honestly think we'd just let you walk away?" Newt snapped.

"He's right," Kevin said. "Save yourself the trouble. You don't get out of there unless we say so."

"Kevin Levin, the Pride, and the lovely Gwen Tennyson, to what do I owe this unexpected…pleasure?" Dark Star dragged out the final word with as much disgust as he could.

"We're here to free you from the Null Void," Gwen stated.

"…Why? You put me in here in the first place."

"Much as I like to take the credit, Ben gets the glory on that one," Kevin said through gritted teeth.

"There's a threat to the Earth. Ben needs your help," Gwen said. "We all do."

"And if I promise to help you?"

Gwen shrugged. "We let you out. Simple as that."

"Then we have an agreement_, lovely Gwen_," Dark Star enunciated.

"Let him out," Gwen told Cooper.

"No. I don't like the way he talks to you," Cooper said dangerously.

"Yeah, I'm with him. Guy's a total asshole. Better leave him to rot." Beck shot a glare at the prisoner. He didn't deign to answer back.

"We need him," Gwen said resolutely. With an audible groan Cooper commanded the machine to release Dark Star, shutting off the red laser wall. Dark Star jumped down from the projector, meeting Kevin up close and personal.

"Why would you trust me?"

"I don't," Kevin growled. "And neither do my friends." Dark Star tried to move his head only to find a scythe blade around his neck. A gun barrel was at his temple, and two Dao swords were around his waist.

Charlie walked up to the villain casually and said darkly, "One wrong move and your head comes off."

"And if you don't help us, you'll be destroyed along with the rest of the planet," Newt told him smoothly. "You can't win."

The blades and gun slowly receded, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The few who were taken aback stood upright again, and as Paradox led everyone out of the room, Alan had to blurt out: "You're the Pride?"

The three in question turned back. "Yup, otherwise known as the children of the corn," Sam said in a spooky voice as Evan did sound effects. Alan smiled.

"I never did get a chance to thank you back then."

"No worries, man, we were just in the neighborhood," Carter said blithely. "But we should really get going. We don't want the Professor leaving us behind."

* * *

><p><strong>Back at Mr. Smoothy<strong>

Ben and Azmuth were in Kevin's car, angrily arguing about something. "Should we interrupt?" Charlie asked Sam.

"No, let's give them a minute." She put a hand on Kevin's shoulder to stop his seething. "Calm down, you'll have your car back soon."

There was a green flash from within the vehicle, and all sounds of arguing stopped. Kevin waited for thirty seconds exactly before storming over to the driver's side of the car and rolling down the window. "Get out of my seat Tennyson!" he snarled.

Carter pushed him aside. "We brought help." She walked away so Ben could see the small entourage they brought: Evan and Sam and Gwen standing off to the side, Paradox standing next to the Pyronite, Cooper in his battle suit with Beck and Charlie underneath him, and Newt next to Dark Star.

And then Newt put two fingers to his lips and whistled, and out bounded a happy little alien bleating, "Ship! Ship!" And then the little guy slowly turned into a giant war ship of mass destruction, screaming out a monstrous, **"SHIP!"**

"You totally forgot he could do that." Newt smirked at Ben's stupefied face.

Evan hopped onto the hood of Kevin's car and shouted, "Onwards to battle!" just as Paradox teleported them to Lo Soledad.

* * *

><p><strong>In a galaxy, far, far away…<strong>

Dead bodies were everywhere.

Plumber agents littered the floor of the High Breed ship. They had been trained to fight for their lives, to give their souls to their cause, but the sheer amount was enough to make the bravest of men quake in his boots. They never should have snuck on board the ship. It had been a decent plan in the beginning, but then their numbers dropped, leaving only a handful to deal with the remaining three High Breed.

The young agent in the very front had grown up hearing about the glories of the Plumbers. They were the defenders of the universe. They were justice. He had come into the field bright eyed and cocky, ready to throw criminals into the Null Void.

That was a week ago.

Now he just wanted to surrender.

A hand was on his shoulder. The young agent looked up into the mirthful green eyes of a human male, with glasses and brown hair and a beard and a kind smile. He was smiling at him, the battle scars on his face stretching. He was dressed in cargo pants and a black t-shirt, black bandages on his arms. He let go of the agent, revealing large twin guns in his hands, silver weapons streaked with green.

The High Breed brought up a claw. The man lifted one gun, the silver metal breaking apart and reassembling itself. It created a cannon shape, and with one pull of the trigger a fiery blast came out, obliterating the monster's arm.

The monster screech as a woman clad in red and gold ran up to it. She was barefoot and wearing a dress that was unfit for battle: long sleeves and a collar up to her neck with golden fire designs weaving up and down the dress, with a skirt that was far too short, the front cut off at the top of the thighs and the back slightly longer to completely cover her rear end. The agent could make out black shorts underneath her skirt before the redhead used her powerful legs to jump up. Something bronze was attached to her wrists-gauntlets- and as she punched she sent powerful blasts at the High Breed's head, red sparks flying. The head came off with the third punch.

Suddenly a gray scabbard connected to a black ribbon struck the second High Breed's shoulder, making it squeal in pain. It retreated, revealing a man clad in blue behind him. His cerulean robe was slashed with white like stabs, flowing behind him as the wind blew dramatically. The robe was cut so that the entirety of his legs could be seen; he was wearing jeans and sneakers, oddly enough, and beneath his robe he didn't appear to be wearing a shirt, though only his collarbone was visible.

The man jumped up, seemingly flying through the air and launching lightning at the High Breed before landing on it. The giant alien tried to swipe him away, yet the blonde struck his black sword into its chest, making it cry out in pain. And then he jumped off as someone else took the stage.

It was another woman, this one with long silver hair tied back in a braid. She was wearing a black jumpsuit that covered her from neck to foot, with silver shoulder and knee pads and belt. Over her shoulder was a scythe, but it didn't look like any ordinary farmer's scythe: this one was silver and black and looked mechanical, like an overly tricked out rifle.

The woman put the scythe in front of her and grabbed a lever. Pulling it back, bullets came out of the pole with the blade attached, hitting the High Breed square in the chest. Bullets rang out of the sniper-scythe until the High Breed finally staggered back. And then the woman jumped up, swinging the scythe around the neck and decapitating the monster.

The third and final High Breed loomed over the last of the group. This one was blonde as well, clad in a purple cloak and black clothing not unlike the silver lady's. A giant staff with runes carved into it was in his hand. He looked up stoically at the High Breed as it screamed gutturally and began its attack. The man lifted his staff and the High Breed began to slow down, down, until it was frozen in time. It stood there, locked, until the man snapped his fingers and the alien simply shattered, like it was nothing more than glass.

Without bothering to look at the damage falling from the sky, the man turned around to the last few remaining Plumber agents. "Where's the High Breed communications relay?"

The young agent nodded to the controls in the front. The purple man stalked towards it, his cloak billowing threateningly behind him. The other members of his team followed behind him, hiding away their weapons in seemingly invisible slots.

The young agent had to ask: "Who are you?"

The redhead turned around. "We're Slayers."

He made a confused noise. "I don't know what that is!"

"All you need to know is that we're friends," the man in the blue robe said. Static sounded out from the controls, followed by the sound of hissing.

Isaac leaned into the microphone, thoroughly pissed off. "Listen here, you supremacist cunts," he hissed. "We've taken down a good chunk of your armada. We've saved numerous lives from your onslaught. Your murder of precious worlds is going to come to an end. _Do I make myself clear?_"

Static, followed by more hissing, until someone had the gall to ask, "And what if we do not, foul, loathsome scum?"

"When the sea rises with the blood of the enemy, and corpses wash up on shore," Cordelia began.

"When the earth screams in anger as the clashing of steel meets flesh and bone," Isaac continued.

"When fire rains down from the heavens, spreading its embers on graves," Irene snarled.

"When the wind sings with the cries of the fallen, its victims begging for revenge," Phineas said.

"Vengeance will strike and fight until it takes its last shuddering breath, taking its enemies down with it into hell," Isaac thundered. "And with my dying breath I so decree: we're coming."

"**We're coming**," the four said as Raphael shot the transmitter to pieces.

* * *

><p><em>Those very last lines you just read are officially the Slayer creed. I hope you find it as badass as I do.<em>

_Also, I completely forgot to mention this the first time I posted this chapter, so for anyone who read this before, I'm sorry. Anyway, Cordelia's sniper-scythe, Lucille's gauntlets, and Phineas's sword-and-scabbard combo come from the Rooster Teeth web series RWBY (pronounced 'ruby'), while Raphael's gun-cannon thing comes from the futuristic dystopian anime Psycho-Pass. Isaac's wizard staff/cane is something I came up myself. _

_So, thoughts anyone?_


	60. The Battle for Bellwood Part 1

Chapter 60: The Battle for Bellwood Part 1

_I really hope you guys think this chapter is good. Personally I think next chapter is better, but this one turned out pretty well I think._

_This particular episode in the series is awesome, which is why I was hesitant to mess with it. But I did for the sake of the story. I just hope it turned out okay._

* * *

><p>They had expected Lo Soledad to be an infestation. It had always been a nest for foul bugs and other diabolical creatures. Tonight shouldn't have been any different.<p>

It was anticlimactic to drive up to it while it looked like an abandoned military base.

Kevin was the first to arrive, parking the car right in front. As Evan and Sam led Dark Star out of the Challenger, Cooper arrived on his transformers robot, creating a lot of noise pollution with each step. Alan Albright flew in on a flaming piece of rock, lit up like a torch. And finally Ship swooped in with the rest of the gang and Paradox who probably could have just teleported himself to the base.

Dark Star surveyed the area and asked, "Why are we stopping here?"

Cooper fixed some goggles over his eyes and took a good look inside. "It's a cloaking field."

Kevin absorbed some of the metal from his car. "Once we go inside, _it's on_." His fist even trembled for emphasis.

The Pride donned their masks, the pupils in their eyes turning jagged. Charlie cracked his knuckles. Beck hefted a large pipe wrench over his shoulder. Newt smirked and said, "Let's rock."

Ben, who had walked out in front of everyone, turned around. "Okay, nothing fancy. We go in we destroy the hyperspace jump gate. We capture any High Breed we can find. That's it." He went to use his Omnitrix.

_**Those are your parting words? **_Ventus scoffed. _**You can do better than that.**_

Ben quickly set down his arms and turned to face his team one last time. "One more thing: whatever we were before, today we're a team. We look out for each other. We win or lose, together." And then he slammed a hand on the Omnitrix, letting the metamorphosis take place.

"CANNONBOLT!"

"Does he always talk like a Pokémon?" Charlie whispered to Carter. She quickly shushed him.

"Haven't seen him in a while," Gwen noted happily.

"What can I say?" Cannonbolt said. "I'm feeling nostalgic." And then he led the troops through the cloaking shield. Like always, it was snowing in the land of DNAliens. Unlike the norm, they had been busy setting up the weather towers the Pride destroyed earlier, as well as putting up newer ones.

Thunder crackled overhead with lightning flashing. Dark Star caught a snowflake in his covered fingers and rubbed them. "Snow?"

"The aliens like it cold," Carter told him. "In hindsight, we probably should have told you all to bring jackets."

"Doesn't matter," Cannonbolt said. "I get the feeling it's gonna get pretty hot in here."

He was right. As soon as the DNAliens saw them, they immediately stopped what they were doing and ran to attack them. And there were thousands of them.

Dark Star shot a ray of black energy at them. The DNAliens in the front line fell to the ground, temporarily exhausted. The ragtag group of heroes then ran up to the offensive, except for Cannonbolt and Kevin; the latter drove his car into the fray while the former rolled into a ball and wheeled in. He even crushed some DNAliens in his path.

Kevin went to the left, using his car as a battering ram to smash into some aliens. Gwen quickly stepped on some mana steps to get above the horde, who were shooting slime and red lasers at her. With some crafty and awesome martial arts moves she weaved out of the fire while at the same time dropping monsters.

Kevin was eventually seen atop the Lo Soledad water tower. He then jumped down it and landed in the middle of a horde. The force plus the velocity of the impact sent snow and the nearby DNAliens flying. Once the snow had cleared Kevin appeared crouched on the ground, holding up a piece of earth. He then threw it against some DNAliens just as fire rained down from the sky. Alan Albright appeared throwing down fire bolts from the safety of the sky.

Whatever fire Alan left Sam used in place of her own. With flaming fists she set DNAliens on fire, letting them go once they started to run away from her. One alien tried to get her from the back; she sent red lightning their way and continued brawling, kicking and punching and burning enemies.

Evan and Carter were walking in the middle of the fray. Stone walls guarded them as they walked, blocking the attacks from the DNAliens. If an enemy did get through, Carter used the snow on the ground to freeze them solid, or Evan would send an ivy wrap to bind them.

And then the stone walls came crashing down, thanks to a wayward ball of fire. Charlie went crashing through one wall and slammed into the other, going through it as he finally landed in an abandoned building. Temporarily abandoning the fight Evan and Carter made their way over to him.

Charlie stepped out of the mess he made. He was charred from head to foot with wisps of smoke coming out of his beanie. He took it off, revealing his fiery hair and using the hat to try wiping some char off his strange armor. It was sleek and silver under the dirt, and seemed much more breathable than normal armor.

Charlie looked up and shouted, "It works, Beck!" The two Pride members whirled around to see Beck with his pipe wrench, braining a DNAlien before he gave a thumbs up.

Carter turned back to Charlie. "Did he throw you into those walls?"

He shook his head. "No, it was a giant horde of aliens." He then stepped past the two of them to join his friend in the fighting. Evan and Carter looked at each other, shrugged, and went to join them.

While Gwen guarded Kevin so he could deliver a curb stomp battle on some DNAliens, Paradox just calmly walked into the middle of the fray, hands in his lab coat pockets. Just as he was about to become Swiss cheese thanks to all the lasers, he took out his pocket watch and opened it, activating the blue glow. Just as red lasers began to swarm him, they suddenly slowed, as well as the DNAliens. And then he just walked out of the horde like a total boss.

Paradox stumbled upon Azmuth, who had become stuck in some wayward green sludge. Using his time powers, he suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He fixed the slime a disgusted look and said, "Now that is just revolting." And then he disappeared. Sam, who had been knocking down a few DNAliens, plucked Azmuth out of the muck.

Cooper used his powers to lock onto the DNAliens hiding in the alleys. Once they appeared in his line of sight, the chest of his robot suit opened, and dozens of missiles shot out of it. They hit the targets, blowing up on impact.

Carter quickly froze the feet of the DNAliens coming at her so they were stuck in place. As Evan, Beck, and Charlie laid into them with fists and other weapons, Carter turned to look for Newt, who had somehow disappeared. Now that she thought about it, Ship was gone too.

Sam ran by and Carter called out, "Have you seen Newt and Ship?"

The redhead stopped. "No, I've been looking for them. Figured I'd give Newt Azmuth for safe keeping." She held up the Galvan in her hand.

Azmuth huffed indignantly. "You act as if I am a wayward child."

"You're a scientist stuck in battle," Sam told him. "You kind of are one."

"**SHIP!" **came the mighty voice of the Galvan Mechamorph. All three of them looked up to see him send flying missiles at the enemy. They all hit random parts of the base, but they still got the job of taking out DNAliens and destroying buildings done, with impressive explosions to boot.

"I'm assuming your friend is with him," Azmuth pointed out.

Dark Star sent black energy out of his fingertips, aiming it at all the DNAliens running at him. At first he merely sucked up enough energy to disorient the enemy for a while, but after a while he was soon overcome. A few DNAliens ganged up on him, beating him to the ground. One even punched his mask off, revealing his hideous, skeletal face.

And so the gloves were off. Sending a pillar of energy at them, Dark Star sent the DNAliens up into the air, forcing them to land painfully on the ground. He clamped his hand over the beaked mouth of one alien and sucked the energy right out of him, turning it into a gray, skeletal husk. He did it again with another DNAlien, and another, and another in an endless loop.

"Yes," he said huskily as the energy went flowing through him. His face began filling out and turning into a normal pale skin tone. "Yes!" he said, hovering into the air as he absorbed more energy. At this point his hair was growing back on his head, turning back to its former golden shade. "YES!" he cried out one final time as his face finally turned back to normal.

And then Cannonbolt came rolling up. "No!" he cried out. "Stop hurting them!"

"This is a battle," Dark Star/Michael pointed out. "We do what we must to survive."

"I hate to agree with our evil vampire teammate, but he has a point," Sam said popping up out of nowhere-or the shadows, as was usual. "Still, these DNAliens aren't really aliens at all," she told Dark Michael. "They're just ordinary humans who have been brainwashed into working for the High Breed. It'd probably be best to show a little compassion."

"Remember our deal, Michael," Cannonbolt said. "We take them down, not out. Understand?"

With a grimace Michael stopped the flow of energy, his face reverting back to its revolting form. He hovered back to the ground and picked up his mask. Putting it back on, he said spitefully: "You're a fool, Ben. What would you do? Cure them?"

Cannonbolt smiled. "Actually, that's not a bad idea."

Sam turned to him, shocked. "Can the Omnitrix even do that?"

"Only one way to find out." He poked the surface of the emblem on his chest and ordered, "Omnitrix: revert the DNAliens back to human." A green beam of light erupted out of the emblem and struck a DNAlien lying unconscious on the ground. The colors melted off it, the body turning a brown color before the mold turned into a human.

The light beam faded away. In Ben's voice, the emblem spoke. "Genetic damage repaired."

"I can't believe that worked," Sam said pleasantly surprised. And then she saw Cannonbolt with his hands on his knees.

"Again," he panted.

"Maybe you should wait," she told him, alarm rising in her.

"As many as we can," he said, to himself or to her, she didn't know. Green light erupted out of the emblem again, and the light struck all the DNAliens nearby, turning them back to human form.

As the light began to taper out, DNAliens began to attack again, this time with more lasers. Sam quickly got in front, putting up a fire shield as the barrage began. But Cannonbolt got out in front of her and struck down the DNAliens, their now human bodies hitting the snowy ground.

Beck went to the center of the healing fray, his hyperactive mind going at a million miles per hour. He looked up at Cooper, who was watching the scene with a calculating look in his eyes. "You thinking what I'm thinking, Coop?" the Hispanic boy called out.

"Yeah, I am," Cooper called back as Cannonbolt fell to the ground.

"Warning: energy reserves depleted," Ben's voice rang out again. Sam ran to the fallen alien, putting a reassuring hand on his back.

"Carter, get over here!" she screamed worriedly. The Goth came running, turning the snow on the ground into an ice slide so she could get there faster. When she finally slid to a stop, she got on her knees and propped Cannonbolt up, her hands glowing blue-green.

"Cycling to recharge mode," Ben's voice rang out as the Omnitrix symbol turned red. Cannonbolt exploded into light, and Ben fell face first into the snow, exhausted.

The DNAliens hiding nearby took the chance and sprang out, readying their laser weapons. Carter threw up her hands and sent spikes of ice at them, distracting them long enough for Sam to get at them.

"Gwen, a little help here!" Sam cried out as one tried to get her in the back. She happily obliged, sending out a mana tentacle strong enough to take out all but three of the enemy. One of them was punched out by Evan. The other two had their heads slammed together by Kevin. A few DNAliens were on the roof, shooting lasers down at them. Dark Star took a few out with his powers.

Carter was trying to wake Ben up, but to no avail. He wasn't injured, so her powers wouldn't work. He was simply exhausted. What he needed was some time in a healing pod, but that wasn't an option.

"Why isn't he waking up?" Gwen asked anxiously as Kevin began to lightly slap his unconscious friend's face.

Evan and Carter clutched Ben's arms and lifted him up off the ground. "Now is not the time to catch up on your beauty sleep. We have a war to win," Evan scolded him. Ben slowly shook his head, his eyes opening.

"What happened?" he said slurring his words.

"You misused the power of the Omnitrix," Azmuth growled. He was standing on Paradox's shoulder-Sam had given him to the professor for safekeeping earlier.

Fully awake, Ben protested, "I was helping people!"

Azmuth crossed his arms. "You were wasting your energy on pointless exercise." Ben glared at him.

Paradox smiled at him. "Good intentions, Ben. But in matters like this, timing is everything."

"I am so sick of the time jokes," Sam muttered under her breath.

Ben ignored her. "What do you mean?" Looking at his pocket watch, the professor just kept smiling.

"It will come to you."

As everyone kept fighting around him-even Sam, who had only stopped to snark- Ben looked at his now-red super weapon. "Are you saying I can't use the Omnitrix to cure the DNAliens?"

Cooper chose that moment to walk up to them in his badass robot suit. "Now that I've seen you do it, maybe you don't have to."

Beck chose that moment to yell out, "Pride, to the transformer!"

The robot suit glowed blue and began to separate. And then, like puzzle pieces they reassembled themselves into dozens of red laser guns, these ones much smaller and sleeker than the DNAlien version.

"What are those?" Ben had to ask.

Cooper smirked and took one in his hands. He aimed and fired at the DNAlien Evan was fighting. It instantly turned back into a human female. Evan caught her before she fell.

"I need that gun!" Evan whooped happily.

"One shot will revert a DNAlien to human," Cooper told them.

"And it won't hurt them?" Gwen asked as she took one from the hovering ring.

"They'll wake up with a little headache," Cooper told her honestly as he started to shoot again. Everyone began to grab at weapons; Ship even docked so Newt could get one. Beck took three and called out, "Pride, to me!" The four huddled together. No one could see what they were doing, but at the end of the meeting Carter and Sam had their respective scythe and Dao swords out while Evan was left with one single laser. All three blades were glowing a suspicious green color.

"This better work Beck," Carter growled as she ran to the front and cut the first DNAlien she saw. A green light appeared out of the gash before it spread over the body, turning the alien back into human.

"It actually worked!" Sam cried out happily before she went to join Carter.

"Of course it did!" Beck scoffed as the two girls disappeared to the back of the line.

Evan turned to the others. "Keep the front lines going! Carter and Sam will take them out by surprise in the back while we take them from the front."

Once the Omnitrix was recharged, Ben grinned and slapped down the dial. As Jetray he took two laser guns and started shooting at enemies from above. He could see Carter and Sam in the back, bobbing in and out of the shadows as they sliced at DNAliens, turning them human again.

Once he flew near the arch, Ventus said, _**Do you have that eagle Phineas gave you?**_

_Is it safe to use it here?_

_**No one's going to see us from so far away, **_the god in the boy's head reasoned. _**And if they do Newt can explain it away. Besides, now seems like a really good time to take out that arch.**_

Ben agreed. As Jetray he flipped through the air, but he fell to the ground as human. Taking the gold tube out of his pocket, he sent electricity through it, turning it into a thick pole with the majestic eagle perched on top. As he neared the ground, he could feel the words burn his arm, but he could remember them verbatim.

"_Memores sint reprobi!" _Ben cried out as the butt of the staff hit the ground. Energy was being pulled from him-Phineas was wrong, he didn't send the pole energy, _it took it from him_- forcing his knees to buckle as he helplessly slid to the ground yet again.

But something was appearing above his head. Lightning shot out of the eagle, streaking the sky violently as storm clouds gathered around it. The lightning began to take form, turning into a ball, then a ball with large wings, and then an enormous eagle made entirely out of lightning. It opened its mouth, and instead of a bird-like scream a thunderous boom rang out. The wings spread out, covering the entirety of the arch. There was a flash of pure blinding light and suddenly the arch blackened, sparks flying out as it short circuited.

And then the eagle was simply gone. The army base seemed unusually dark without its holy light, but thanks to it the arch was destroyed. With protesting bones and an exhausted soul Ben turned to the hundreds of DNAliens in front of him…only to find unconscious humans littering the ground. His brain on the fritz, Ben could barely make out a simple question in his mind.

_**Yeah, the eagle did that, **_Ventus said as Ben's eyes closed.

* * *

><p>Before the eagle attacked, the front line had been mostly covered. Gwen was using her powers as a shield as she ran headfirst into the fray, shooting at the enemy randomly. Kevin had grabbed two lasers and with a war cry ran headlong into battle, jumping on top of heads and shooting wildly into the mess.<p>

Alan was overhead, shooting fire and lasers alike while Newt steered Ship around the battlefield, aiming erratically below. Beck and Charlie stood back to back while they shot their weapons, Cooper weaving in and out of the fray with his weapon. Paradox walked calmly as he was shooting, with Azmuth on his shoulder. The Galvan was too small to hold a laser, but he still took a shot, only to fall off the professor's shoulder. Only Dark Star remained entirely stationary as he took hits at the enemy.

Suddenly Kevin looked up and saw a glint from a top one of the weather towers. There was a red laser charge flashing. He looked to his left, saw Sam, and yelled out, "Sam! Up there!" She looked up just as the weapon fired. "Here!" he shouted, weaving his fingers together and kneeling down.

Sam ran up, put a foot inside the latch, and let herself be thrown into the air heading towards the laser. Flames erupted from the soles of her boots, giving her a much needed boost. With fire in the palm of her hands she sent a laser of her own at the offending shot, disintegrating it. Just as she fell Sam sent a small ball of flame at the sniper, watching as the spot exploded and the DNAlien fall. Ducking into a ball she fell to the ground, landing with a sonic wave strong enough to force numerous DNAliens to fly in the air.

And then the eagle appeared in the sky, startling everyone, even the DNAliens. It was massive and bright and seemed to crackle with lightning. It loomed over the arch like an avenging angel. It opened its beak, but instead of a sharp bird cry thunder boomed, resonating out of the throat in a deafening roar. And then it burst, the light exploding over the army base and blinding everyone.

And then it was simply gone. The night looked unusually grim without the eagle, as if the darkest hour had physically appeared. But then Evan gave a sharp cry and pointed at the arch, the blackened relic appearing. This was followed by a triumphant shout from Carter as she waved a hand over the fallen humans in their midst. Everyone cheered, but it was cut short as another onslaught of the DNAlien horde was within sight.

And to make matters worse red lights appeared out of the arch. Instead of sparking to death the jump gate was being activated.

"No, it can't…" Evan muttered as his eyes widened.

"How is that thing powering up?" Gwen asked as she surveyed the damage from down below.

"It must have some sort of backup system," Sam told her. "Though how it survived that eagle is beyond me."

"What do we do now?" Alan asked anxiously.

"We keep breaking it," Carter said darkly as she sent a wave of icicles at the arch. They completely shattered against one of the lights. "Well that sucks," she muttered. "What's it made out of?"

"Neutronium-carbon alloy," Paradox told her.

"Dude, that was rhetorical," Carter scoffed as she turned to face the team. "If there isn't a way to destroy it from the outside, there has to be a way from the inside. Paradox, where would the controls be?"

"How should I know?" he asked irritably before his eyes widened in shock. "Everyone back away, it's about to-"

Purple light fizzled out of the jump gate, revealing a blue and violet vortex. The wind picked up exponentially, forcing nearly everyone to brace for impact. A body was thrown at them; it was being savagely pulled apart by the rapid winds. Vines erupted from the earth, plucking the person out of the air and bringing them to safety. It only took a moment to see that it was Ben that Evan had saved, looking ragged and beaten, blood dribbling out of his nose.

And then something black appeared out of the vortex. Everyone turned in time to see large oval ships coming out of the jump gate. There were dozens coming out, all aimed at the nearest town. Sam could feel warm, familiar hands on her shoulders. She quickly crossed her arms to touch them as she gazed despondently at the incoming armada.

"Oh come on!" Evan shouted bringing his hands to his head as the armada grew in size. And then four of the ships exploded fire bursting from the hulls. They slowly descended far away from Lo Soledad, landing in the desert.

"…what," said Dark Star.

Snow crunched on the ground, followed by the sounds of footsteps. Everyone turned to see Lucille and Cordelia walk up to them, wearing red and black respectively. Cordelia had a wicked looking sniper scythe over her shoulder, while Lucille had red gauntlets that looked far too sleek to work.

"Lucille?" Sam asked.

"Cordelia?" Evan asked.

"You have a sniper scythe?" Carter couldn't help but ask.

"You're not going anywhere near this thing," Cordelia told her sharply. She hefted the absurdly dangerous scythe into her hands. "The shock alone could tear your arm right off your body."

"Well shit," Carter muttered under her breath.

"Just to let you all know, we'll try to take care of all these ships for you," Lucille said cheerfully. "But you'll still have to close the jump gate. There's just too many for us to handle."

"And how exactly are you going to handle it?" Dark Star had to ask. Lucille shot him a look.

"Like this." Aiming her gauntlet at the nearest ship, she fired three shots at it. As she expelled the gun shells out of her weapon, the wing exploded, pieces falling down as the ship swerved dangerously to the right. It narrowly passed over the buildings before it loudly crashed into the neighboring rock sediments.

Cordelia turned to the group of DNAliens that happened to be just standing there. With a burst of speed she ran towards them, her scythe outstretched. With serpentine grace she sliced through the horde, the scythe practically an extension of her arm. Shots were fired out of her weapon, the shells hitting the ground smoking. Gliding to and fro, her braid was a whip behind her as she sent a storm of bullets into the fray. At the very end she hefted her sniper scythe over her shoulder and walked over the cold bodies as a rain of gun shells fell to the ground.

Lucille smiled and clapped, her gauntlets shining in their active form. "This is why I love fighting with you," she said as the scythe wielder came near.

Cordelia turned back to the group. "Any more smart remarks?" Everyone quickly shook their heads. "Good. Now keep fighting the army here and for gods' sake, take out that jump gate!" Darkness passed over the two women and they disappeared.

Sam looked at the standing army less than fifty feet away from them and then stared at Ben's bloody, unconscious face. "Easier said than done, Cordelia," she said bitterly.

* * *

><p><em>If you think this chapter is too short, don't worry; next chapter is gonna be longer. Like, way longer than usual. Over 7,000 words! 0.0<em>

_So, thoughts anyone?_


	61. The Battle for Bellwood Part 2

Chapter 61: The Battle for Bellwood Part 2

_This is the longest chapter of the story (so far). Almost twenty pages, 7500+ words. Holy shit._

_I realized that it's been over sixty chapters and I have not once made a reference to Hitler. Considering that the High Breed are just like the Nazis (IN SPACE!), I consider this a personal shame. So I added in a few references here. I regret nothing._

_As for Newt's training, I did have a scene depicting what would happen to him once he used it in real battle, but it was so heartbreaking I cried. Like the 'big fat tears rolling down my cheeks while I sobbed' kind. So I'm showing you the aftermath instead. _

_By the way, the song Newt sings near the end is "With Me" by Sum 41. It's so beautiful; you guys need to check it out sometime._

_On with the show! _

* * *

><p>It took a bucket-size blob of ice water to wake Ben up.<p>

His eyes snapped open and he shrieked, practically jumping off the ground. He shivered as water dripped down his face from his hair. He could taste something metallic on his lips-blood. Where had that come from?

Suddenly the ice water was being drained from his person. Ben looked up to see a white mask in front of him, familiar gray eyes turned savage due to the jagged black line where the pupil should be. Her hands glowed a bluish green color as the water collected itself around them. And then some of the water went back to his face, specifically his nose, and the blood immediately disappeared.

As the rapid healing finished, Ben looked up and gasped. There was hundreds of the High Breed armada just above him, looming dangerously over the old military base. He didn't need a college degree to see where there first stop was.

And then he heard the sounds of explosions in the distance. Ben turned around to see some of the armada ships veering dangerously off to the side, fire taking over the ships. He could just barely make out five blobs jumping off the wrecks and landing on the next few ships, already continuing their path of destruction.

"…what," was the first thing Ben said.

"Cordelia and the others are taking down as many of the armada as they can," Carter explained quickly. She pointed to the jump gate which, despite its totaled state, was still spewing out more ships. "Unfortunately more are still coming, and we need a plan of attack to get to the controls."

"Also we have no idea where the control room is," Sam added in unhelpfully. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the strength of the backup supply. That eagle attack earlier should have destroyed the gate, and yet it's still working."

Beck paled visibly. "Oh no."

"What is it?" Kevin asked, dread filling him.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "They could be using a version of my carbon machine. Basically it's a way of using carbon as an efficient energy source," he quickly explained to the others who didn't know what he was talking about. "If they're using that, no wonder the backup's working so flawlessly."

"Is there any way of destroying it?" Cooper asked.

"If they followed the plans, then the only way to destroy it is by overheating it." Beck turned to Sam. "Come with me. I'll give you a quick rundown of the schematics so when you see it, you'll know where to break it."

"Why can't you destroy it?" Sam asked as Beck began to pull her away.

"I don't have the fire power, and I can't destroy any of my creations, even if it has fallen into enemy hands," Beck answered as a holographic version of the carbon machine appeared out of a flat disk in his hands.

As that was happening, Ben had been thinking (which was normally a dangerous thing, but right now it was blessing). "I got it!" he said finally snapping his fingers. "We break into the High Breed control room and force the High Breed captain to make the ships' retreat."

It took a moment for that to sink in. "That's your big plan?" Dark Star deadpanned.

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Hey, how many times have I beaten you?"

The villain glared at him. "Twice. But just at this moment I can't imagine how."

"The main control tower will be the most heavily guarded building in the city," Azmuth pointed out.

"Precisely my point," Dark Star said. "How do you propose to get inside?"

"That's where I come in," Sam said walking up to them. She held up a thin black disk. "I know how to disable the backup generator, and I can easily get through the guards."

"But you need a _lot_ of fire power to destroy the carbon machine," Beck reminded her. "Taking out all those guards will drain you."

Kevin smirked. "Leave it to me."

* * *

><p><strong>Back at the car<strong>

It was decided that Evan would remain on the battlefield, since the troops would need a second in command to tell them what to do. Ben didn't really trust anyone else to do the job for him-one of his teammates was a criminal, one was only a scientist, another was a time travelling pacifist (for the most part), and the rest were just teenagers with very little battle experience. Coupled with the fact that Evan was great with a gun, and the decision was unanimous.

That left the others in the Dodge Challenger, with Sam in the passenger seat, Carter and the Tennyson cousins in the back, and Kevin in his rightful place as the driver. Gwen, though, found this odd. "We're going to drive to the control tower?"

As she clipped her seatbelt into place, Sam turned to her, took off her mask, and gave her a grin. "You haven't seen the modifications on this car, have you?"

"And you have?" Carter fixed her friend a look. It was returned by a Cheshire cat grin.

Kevin quickly pressed a silver button on his dashboard. Instantly the inside of the car turned black with green _Tron_ lines spreading out as the design. As the ceiling of the car turned black, Ben looked up and asked, "Where did you get all this stuff?"

"When didn't I?" Kevin shot back. As the outside of the car suddenly sprouted new weapons, he continued, "Every time we found some alien tech, I tossed it in the trunk, and whenever I had free time…" he trailed off as the car lifted, the doors suddenly sprouting wings, the tires enlarging, and on the roof, rocket launchers.

"You work on the car," Gwen noted. "Is this what you and Evan were working on, when you should have been teaching him how to drive?"

"I did teach him how to drive," Kevin said flatly. "He was actually testing the weapons out while he was at the wheel. Why else do you think I don't want him driving my car?"

"…Because you're territorial," Sam told him putting her mask back on.

"And unless this thing has flame throwers like the hearse, I won't be impressed," Carter said, putting an elbow against the window and leaning her masked face into her hand.

Kevin looked at the rearview mirror and gave her a Cheshire cat grin. "Oh, you'll be impressed. Trust me." With that he started driving.

As lasers started hitting the windshield, rockets were launched at the DNAlien line. In a single stroke and a cloud of dust they were gone, leaving only a crater. "Okay, yeah, now I'm impressed," Carter admitted as they drove past the carnage.

Just as they were about to go through the alleyways, a truck appeared out of nowhere, barring the passageway. "You're not going to stop, are you?" Ben asked, understandably worried.

"Nope." With another press of a button, Kevin sent three more rockets at the truck. They pierced the metal, completely tearing through and destroying whatever was inside. Gwen quickly used her powers to fly the car out into the air to dodge the debris and fire. The mana sphere faded just before the car landed on the other side of the fire wall, making the landing bumpy and violent.

As his head hit the back of his seat, Ben snapped, "And this is why we always wear our seatbelts-mph!" Carter clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Shutting him up now!"

"Thank you!" Kevin told her as he continued driving. At that moment the armada started to rain down lasers at them, at least the ones Cordelia and her crew hadn't taken down yet. Kevin was able to dodge them, though the ride was less than pleasant.

Kevin swerved towards a building, sending more rockets at the wall. Going through the newly made hole, the car went through the building. Lasers were sent in through the roof, landing just behind the car's trail. Kevin quickly drove out of there, just after a laser completely destroyed the building.

"Tell me, am I going to get blamed for all this property damage?" Sam asked Carter suddenly, since the thought just popped into her head.

"You might have been a few months ago," Carter said honestly. "Now I'm not so sure."

Kevin quickly parked in front of the control tower, a pink and purple thing that looked kind of like an alien water tower. "Run to the control room, then we fight," Ben ordered.

"I was afraid you were gonna say that," Kevin whimpered as he pressed the auto attack button on his dashboard. Moving out of the way, the car drove by itself towards the DNAlien horde, shooting lasers and rockets all by itself.

As it disappeared into the night, Sam put a hand on Kevin's arm and said, "Your car will never be forgotten." He gently laid his hand on hers and stared up at the sky, trying not to cry.

"Oh my god it's just a car, not your first born child," Carter snarled as she started to run into the control tower. Everyone quickly followed her up the steps, though why the DNAliens didn't put up an elevator or an escalator was beyond them.

Gwen put it in the best terms. "The High Breed have star ships but they haven't invented the elevator?"

"It's like they _want_ everyone to hate them," Sam agreed. "Even though we already do."

They eventually came upon a platform with a giant red egg-shaped door. "Beck's already told me where the carbon machine is," Sam told them. "Just in case you can't convince the commander to call off the attacks, you've got a backup plan."

She and Carter quickly fist bumped. "Don't die," the Goth said.

"Don't worry; I have a habit of surviving," Sam said before she walked down to the other side of the platform. Kevin absorbed some of the metal off the control tower wall and, with a jovial wave to the others, went after her.

"You don't have to come with me, you know," Sam told him quietly when he caught up. "I'm part of the Pride. I can handle myself. Besides, I think you're friends need you most."

"If you haven't noticed, they've got Gwen and another member of the Pride with them," Kevin said. "They'll be fine. I think you need me the most." He gave her a wolfish grin.

Normally, behind the mask, it was hard to tell if a person was embarrassed. If Sam was blushing, it would be impossible to see. But steam began to curl out of the mask, though that went unnoticed by the fire user. "Just-just don't get in the line of fire," she stuttered out. "You don't want to get cooked inside your armor."

As the two of them disappeared behind the bend, Carter willed a water whip into her hand. She and Gwen turned to Ben, who had already turned to dial on the Omnitrix. "Its hero time!" he shouted before slamming it down.

"SWAMPFIRE!" The alien quickly set a flaming hand against the doorway, incinerating it. The three of them ran into the control room and posed dramatically.

"Tennyson!" the High Breed commander exclaimed. "That is you, isn't it? All of you lesser species look alike to me."

"Yeah, yeah, you're all superior and pure-blooded and we're all maggots," Swampfire said. "I don't have time for that today."

"Do not mock me Tennyson," the High Breed warned.

"How can we not?" Carter scoffed. "You High Breed take after Adolf Hitler, one of the most ineffectual dictators in human history. His own guards, the Storm Troopers, thought he was insane and plotted to kill him."

"…I was going to give you the option of dying quickly with the rest of your insignificant race, but now you'll just die slowly at my hand," the High Breed said as the DNAliens began to surround the three heroes.

"You just had to mention that, didn't you?" Gwen muttered to Carter.

"How about neither option?" Swampfire suggested. "Call it off."

"Foolish children," the High Breed sneered. "Enough of this! Destroy the other two. Leave Ben 10 to me." The DNAliens quickly rushed at the group.

Gwen didn't have her laser weapon-which was well and good, since the High Breed command center was hardly the place to leave unconscious humans lying about- so she used her karate skills to take down DNAliens. Carter was using tai chi ch'uan to send her water whip at the enemy, hitting weak spots and having them fall to the floor. Most of the DNAliens in the room-there weren't that many- were unconscious when Carter suddenly cried out, "NO!"

Swampfire had been rushing at the High Breed when it punched him right in the face. The weight and the velocity was enough to destroy the head, and Ben fell to the ground in a heap, vines erupting from the neck.

"So it ends," the High Breed said resolutely. "Just as your grandfather destroyed himself trying to defeat me, so you too fall at my-!"

Suddenly the vines wrapped together, revealing the head of Swampfire once again. "I'm kind of mad now." He sent balls of fire at the High Breed, sending it back.

Another High Breed jumped down from higher ground, trying to hit Gwen. She quickly put up a shield so the alien hit that instead of her. A giant disk of ice was sent at the High Breed, crashing against him and sending him reeling away from the redhead. It hit the control panel instead, shattering it.

And then, to add the cherry on top, things suddenly started to explode at the side of the control tower. From the windows, Carter and Gwen could see the jump gate slowly fizzle out, the purple hues becoming blue until it turned black, the gate completely out of energy.

"YES!" Carter cheered as she and Gwen hugged.

* * *

><p><strong>Just moments before…<strong>

"This won't take long," Sam said as she punched out the guards of the control room. She then melted through the doors and she and Kevin walked inside the purple room with dozens of DNAliens manning the pink carbon machine. It was large with silver tubes jutting out of it, forcing it to look like an orb stuck in a spider web.

"_That's_ the carbon machine?" Kevin said disgustedly as the DNAliens started to surround them.

"Beck's version looks a lot less sinister," Sam told him, "and much smaller. This is going to be harder than I thought." She then punched out a DNAlien that was going to attack her.

The two of them then started to beat up the DNAliens, Kevin with his boxing skills and Sam with her Northern Shaolin kung fu. It was actually fairly easy to defeat them, and Sam was starting to think that it would still be this easy-

A High Breed jumped down from higher ground and landed just beside them, startling them. "I figured it was getting too easy," Kevin grumbled as he cracked the knuckles in his hands. He turned to Sam. "Go destroy that thing. I'll keep Tiny busy."

"And I'll leave you with a little gift," she said as she sent a ball of fire at the High Breed. It dodged, leaving it distracted long enough for Kevin to start pummeling it.

Sam ran up to the carbon machine, took out her broadswords, and sliced the egg in half. Lifting the top up, she revealed the innards of the machine, the engine, the pulsing pink veins, the fluids. Her lips curling in disgust, Sam put her hands on the engine and sent an enormous quantity of fire into its heart. The flames licked the inside of the orb, and the heat was sent out through the spider web tubes, each pinpoint exploding as it collapsed in on itself.

She heard a scream behind her, and then the sounds of metal hitting metal. Sam turned around in time to see Kevin in a crater, his metal armor ripped to pieces. He was being pressed down by the High Breed's foot, and from the look of things, he was near death.

While panic and fear was welling up inside her, Sam smelled flesh burning. She turned to look at her hands; black holes were appearing where skin once was. It was happening all over her body, flames searing skin while red light shone through.

"So it's come to this, huh?" Sam said quietly, taking off her mask. Tears were welling up in her eyes. She didn't expect an answer, but it was nice to pretend.

The red light was growing brighter and angrier. "Just this once, Kirche. Just this once." And she closed her eyes.

Red light exploded out of her, the flesh dissolving with fire replacing it. In the place of Sam was Kirche, with flaming hair writhing around and the hem of her dress jagged and burnt. Taking a deep breath the goddess turned around, her angry face suddenly neutral. She walked down the spider web and stood on the metal floor, her feet melting prints into it.

The High Breed was screeching something, backing away from the extreme heat. Kirche was walking up to it, daggers in her hands. Except the blades were growing, becoming broadswords instead.

"Insolent wretch!" the High Breed was saying. "You dare to-!" It was cut off when both swords suddenly plunged into its chest. Fire started to spread out from the wounds. Kirche slid the blades out as the High Breed was set ablaze. It screamed as it quickly died, turning into a pile of ash at the end.

The broadswords turned back into daggers. Kirche stared at the pile and said, "They thought they were better, but every race always comes to the same conclusion. War, bloodshed, screaming, death. And it always, always ends in fire. The earth weeps while flames sear the ground and the blood of children spills on the grass. And it never ends, a brutal cycle that survives through the eons. Not one race is immune, and yet they refuse to see it. They must put the blame on someone else."

The goddess turned to Kevin. He had slid off his metal armor, and now he stood before Kirche, a terrified look on his face. She walked up to him, towering over him by at least a head. Her face wasn't angry; instead she looked resigned.

"Do you ever tire of the fighting? I do. And I'm tired of being blamed for something I can't control. But I can't step down. I am the designated scapegoat, and that is all I ever will be." She smiled sadly yet hopefully. "But not to the people who matter. No matter how I act, someone will see through me, won't they?"

Instead of looking scared, Kevin smiled softly. "Yeah, they will."

"That's fine then. That's just fine." Red light washed over her, and instead of Kirche Sam appeared, small holes in her uniform where her skin burned. She pitched forward violently, coughing, her lungs rattling. Kevin held her as she slowly began to breathe again. She finally stood up and gave him a scared look.

"What happened? Where's-oh." She finally saw the pile of ash where the High Breed once was. Sam groaned and asked, "What else did she do? She better not have-!"

He just held onto her tightly, kissing her forehead. "Nothing's wrong. We just had a little heart to heart."

Sam struggled out of his grasp and said incredulously, "Kirche? A heart to heart? How much smoke did you inhale?"

Kevin snorted and said, "Come on, I'm sure Ben needs help."

* * *

><p><strong>Speaking of which…<strong>

Swampfire fell back as the High Breed hit him. He continued to fall back at the High Breed continued to pimp slap him. It only stopped when Swampfire was on the ground.

The High Breed held up a fist and shook it menacingly. "You're finished, insect."

"Doubtful," Carter said as pillars of ice suddenly appeared at the feet of the High Breed. They grew taller and wider, thickening until they were all connected together. And then the circle tightened around the alien, trapping it in a frozen cocoon. It struggled hopelessly before giving up.

Swampfire stood up and gave Carter a high five. "Now give the order and let's end this invasion," Gwen said once she joined the party.

The High Breed laughed derisively. "I don't have the authority to call off the invasion. Only the High Breed Supreme could end the attack, and he is beyond your reach, safe on the home world."

It was Carter's turn to laugh. "You really think we didn't come prepared for that?" She held up a phone as Sam and Kevin appeared on the scene. "Bad news guys," the Goth told them, "we need to go to the High Breed home planet to call off the invasion."

"And the hyperspace jump gate hasn't gone offline." Sam gestured to the gate, which instead of dying was still going strong, despite the millions of sparks flying out of it. "What does it take to destroy that thing?"

"At least the carbon machine's destroyed," Kevin pointed out hopefully.

"And we have a ship," Carter said, speed dialing someone.

Suddenly DNAliens were appearing around them, all of them carrying lasers. "Oh, come on!" Swampfire cried out as he prepared for the onslaught.

…And then Manny Armstrong barreled through, punching out aliens. "Step aside, alien freaks, you're in my way!" he roared.

"Manny!" Gwen cried out happily.

"Hey Gwen!" he called out as he ran towards them. A blur of blue passed her, the wind picking up exponentially. All the weapons the DNAliens were carrying were stolen. It turned out that Helen Wheels had picked them up; she smiled as she dropped them on the floor.

And then someone front flipped through the air, quills suddenly detonating the weapons. As they blew up, a teenager with black hair with a white stripe in the middle and quills jutting out of his skin appeared. "Pierce, I presume," Sam said.

"Then that means…" Swampfire looked around.

"How's it going kids?" Max Tennyson called out, flying in on a gray bat squid…_thing_. Carter had to take off her mask and rub at her eyes to make sure her vision wasn't failing her.

As Max landed the abomination, Swampfire ran up to him, quickly changing back into Ben. "Grandpa!" he cried out as they embraced. He was quickly followed by Gwen, thus ensuring at least one family moment in the war.

"And Max Force!" Manny yelled out, startling everyone.

Max gave him a look. "What did I say about calling us that?"

"I think it sounds cool," he said bashfully. While it did have some merit of coolness, Max Tennyson would obviously not allow it.

"What are you doing here?" Gwen asked when she finally let go. "I thought you were going to stay in the Null Void until you cleaned it up."

"Pretty much got things under control there," Max reassured her. "Anyway, after all the work I put into uncovering the High Breed conspiracy, there is _no way_ I'm sitting out the final round."

"Then you've arrived just in time to see the end, Max Tennyson," the High Breed sneered.

"No he didn't," Carter said, smirking.

* * *

><p><strong>Just moments before…<strong>

Newt had settled Ship down on the ground, since there was no need for the Mechamorph to shoot wildly at the ground troops. Instead, he followed Evan's leadership and fired shot after shot at the enemy, relishing the fallen humans littering the ground.

And then he got a call. He frowned, taking it out and ready to scream at the caller, but then he saw the caller ID. He answered with a confused, "What's up?"

"Turns out the High Breed control tower isn't the place to end the invasion," Carter said hurriedly. "That would be on the High Breed home world. I need Ship to take me there."

He took a look at the fizzling jump gate and immediately understood. "I'll send Evan along. He'll be better backup than me. And don't hurt Ship." He ended the phone call before she could retort. He then called for Evan and immediately explained the situation.

"What about you?" he asked afterwards.

Newt smirked, but there was something almost melancholy about it. "I'll stay here. Someone needs to keep up morale." Evan nodded grimly and boarded Ship. The mighty Mechamorph then lifted itself off the ground and flew off.

"You know, you don't have to go through with this," Paradox told him from behind. Newt whirled around, startled, before his heart rate calmed down. "Seriously, you have other options."

Newt gave him a half smile. "I know, but this option leaves everyone happy."

The professor raised an eyebrow. "Does it?"

"No, but at least she'll have a great story to tell her kids," Newt said as he waved goodbye.

* * *

><p><strong>Back in the control tower<strong>

"You have a plan," Sam stated, slightly amused.

"Oh yeah." Carter jerked a thumb at the gate. "The hyperspace jump gate is like a door out from the High Breed home world to here. It should also work as a door in. And I've got the thing that'll take us there." She turned to Max. "Think you can hold the line here?"

"Keep them from retaking the control room?" he asked with a grin. "Consider it done."

Carter then ran out towards the broken window to peer outside. "Where are you going?" Manny asked.

She took off her mask so everyone could see her wolfish grin. "Just taking a breath of fresh air." And then she jumped off the building.

"CARTER!" Ben screamed before she reappeared. She was riding on top of Ship, the wind blowing through her hair, her triumphant grin for all to see.

"SHIP!" her pet cried out, just for emphasis.

"Oh, she's good," Max Tennyson said approvingly.

"All aboard who's coming aboard!" she yelled out. Sam and Kevin shared a look before running after her, quickly followed by Ben and Gwen.

Before disappearing inside the ship, Ben turned around and said, "If we don't make it back, it's up to you guys."

"Forget that man," Manny said dismissively. "We'll see you when you get back." Grandpa Max gave his grandson one last smile and a wink. Ben grinned and went with the others.

Once inside the space ship, they found Evan at the controls, his mask and wig off and his brown hair in its usual ponytail. "Thank you for flying Air Force," he announced as everyone took their seats. "Keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times, don't fire off any weapons unless told to do so, and whatever you do, don't eat the in flight meal."

Sam took off her mask and wig and rolled her eyes. "Can we just go?"

"Ugh, fine, ruin all my fun," Evan said as he flew the space ship away from the control tower. Before they neared the jump gate, he said, "You know, after not having a scene all chapter, now would be a really great time for some witty banter."

"Considering that you're a main character in this story, you don't have the right to complain," Azmuth said from the passenger seat.

"What is Bug Eyes doing here?" Kevin asked rudely.

"I am not leaving the Omnitrix unprotected."

"Ben worries about you too," Gwen told him, a satisfied little smirk on her face.

Azmuth turned to face her. "I am only concerned with the Omnitrix, not Ben," he insisted.

"Keep telling yourself that and maybe we'll believe it," Sam scoffed.

"Jump gate coming up," Ben announced. He turned to the Omnitrix. "I'm going to change into my flight suit." A flash later and Brainstorm appeared. Evan immediately got out of the driver's seat and let him take the wheel.

"With my oversized cranium and intellectual superiority that naturally follows with it, this is obviously the correct form to pilot this vehicle under these trying…conditions," Brainstorm said as he pressed buttons with his claws.

"You do realize that this vehicle is my dog, right?" Carter asked dryly from the backseat. "Also you have one of the smartest beings in the universe right next to you. Don't you think he should have a say?"

"Or better yet, just let me drive," Azmuth said. Brainstorm chuckled. "Are you inferring that you're smarter than me because your head is bigger?"

The Pride went, "Oooooohhhhh." And then Evan added, "Oh no, he didn't!"

"I'm implying that I'm smarter than you because my brain is bigger," Brainstorm shot back.

"Are you gonna take that?" Sam goaded the Galvan.

"Well, here's the best way to end the argument," Kevin said seriously. "Incoming!" Shots were being fired at them from one of the High Breed spacecrafts. Brainstorm went to dodge…only for the star ship to suddenly explode. Out of the fire and smoke a blue shape could be seen, and a black ribbon stretched across the sky.

"Good ol' Phineas!" Sam cheered as Ship dodged the sinking ship. Many more of the armada surrounding them was suddenly struck down, with vague multicolored blurs jumping off the falling debris.

"We have the best grandparents ever," Carter stated as the jump gate loomed overhead.

"Prepare yourself," Azmuth warned them. "The jump gate can be disconcerting."

As Gwen braced herself, she asked curiously, "How does it work?"

"It converts you into faster-than-light tachyons-"

"Broadcasts them to the receiver on the opposite side of the galaxy," Brainstorm rudely interrupted.

"…then reconstitutes you," Azmuth finished as Ship finally went through the jump gate.

It was… a bumpy experience to say the least. The passengers weren't being stretched limb from limb or felt like it was happening, and they certainly didn't feel their bodies turning into tachyons. But it was definitely uncomfortable.

When it was finally over, they found themselves on the High Breed home planet, a place full of machines and trees. Anachronisms; go figure.

Evan immediately went to the back and vomited. Everyone else shook off the aftereffects. "We've arrived," Azmuth said finally.

"Is everybody besides Evan okay?" Gwen asked. Everyone groaned. And then Ship screamed out his name as a bright flash appeared from the left.

"We've been hit!" Kevin shouted panicking.

"Go to the High Breed main tower," Azmuth ordered, "the tall one over there." Brainstorm steered Ship through the smoking ruins of the planet. Before they could reach the tower, the tailpipe was hit, and Ship went down, crashing through one of the walls of the outer defense and finally hitting the inside of the tower. He landed painfully.

Carter went to the controls and stroked the panel. "Good Ship, very good. We'll be back soon, just hide and stay out of danger okay?" she pleaded. Ship's normal bleating sounded out through the cabin. And then the crew left him.

…Except Ben stumbled to the ground and fainted again.

* * *

><p><em>He was standing in a meadow at night, the moonlight casting the trees and flowers in a silvery sheen. The flowers were a multitude of colors, red, pink, purple, and even some blue, and the grass was soft under his bare feet. Though why he was barefoot was beyond him.<em>

_He could hear a soft lullaby through the air, something soft and clear. It was Latin, and the voice giving the words life was something he recognized._

_Ben started to run, not giving notice to the hazy and dreamlike quality of the meadow. He could see the singer, a young lady clad in white, her back to him. He spun her around, rudely interrupting her song. She huffed, and said in a snappish tone:_

"_This isn't how it goes."_

"_No," Ben said breathlessly, "because I remember."_

_She raised an eyebrow and stepped back. His eyes flickered over her outfit: bare feet, a white skirt pooling to her ankles and both sides slid up way past the thigh, a plain white corset top with sleeves attached, revealing only the shoulders. A rope of ice crystals was weaved through her black hair like an impromptu tiara, and instead of only one sharp canine all of her teeth had a wolfish quality to them._

_He paused at her piercing gray eyes and said again, "I remember everything. All of it. And I know what I have to do."_

"_Doubtful."_

"_In that case, can you show me? We don't have much time."_

_She rolled her eyes-or one eye rolled, since one was hidden by a triangular bang that completely covered the left half of her face. "Sure, I have some time to spare."_

_He held out a hand. "Come on. We have a universe to save."_

_She grabbed it without hesitation. "Don't be so dramatic." She grinned the manic grin he loved so much-_

* * *

><p>Someone slapped him awake. "We're here!" Carter whispered. Groggy, Ben looked at the impressive door they were hiding in front of. Two of the High Breed were on the ground, unconscious. Ben had the feeling there were more bodies behind him, but he didn't want to check.<p>

"We convinced the guards to take them to their leader," Gwen said quietly. "And then Sam took care of them."

"It had to be done," she said shrugging her shoulders.

Ben stood up, holding his head. "So that means…"

"Yup." Kevin nodded. "You wanna do the honors?"

He looked for Azmuth; Evan was holding him. "Hide him," Ben hissed. He obliged to the protests of the Galvan, cupping his hands and covering the alien.

Ben shrugged off his jacket and stood in front of the doors. With a deep breath he did some fancy footwork, pushed his arms out, and let the tornado-like winds push the doors open. Debris from the earlier fights along with the unconscious bodies of the fallen High Breed were picked up and tossed into the room like rag dolls.

Ben Tennyson put his jacket back on and walked into the High Breed Supreme room with the wind blowing savagely behind him. He took in the sights of the older High Breed sitting on their thrones, saw their fat, decaying bodies, and finally let the air settle.

As the others walked into the room-Azmuth no longer covered- Ben said, "Call off the invasion. _Now._"

_**Now THAT is how you make an entrance! **_Ventus cheered inside Ben's head.

"I've read reports of your tenacity, Ben 10," the High Breed Supreme drawled out, "but I never imagined your gall would exceed all description." The leader was an ugly fat thing with an orange crown surrounding its head. Clearly all the other High Breed took after it.

"I said, call off the invasion," Ben said once more.

"Just like that?"

"Uh, yeah. What have you got to gain by hurting us anyway?" Ben asked. "All these attacks on Earth, the armada, taking over Galvan Prime and other planets; seriously, what's the endgame?"

"You are mongrels, inferior life forms," the High Breed Supreme. "Your very existence is an insult to our purity."

"Oh great, we're talking to Adolf Hitler in space," Evan snapped.

"You didn't get that from all the Nazis he has working for him?" Sam told him.

"Enough with these lies," Azmuth told the High Breed dismissively.

"You accuse me of dishonesty," said the High Breed Supreme. "Your race is the Galvan, correct? A slightly more intelligent form of pond scum."

"Don't be fooled by his posturing, Ben," Azmuth told the boy. "They aren't attacking because of their supposed superiority. They're attacking because they're dying out. They're ridiculous belief in racial purity led to inbreeding, a loss of resistance to disease, and finally sterility. This is the last generation of High Breeds, is it not?"

"You are correct vermin," said the High Breed Supreme. "But we will not perish alone. In a matter of hours, my fleet will not just destroy Earth, but every known inhabited planet in this galaxy. The fall of Galvan was the signal of our final attack to begin. Enjoy your last few breaths, vermin; you will not live to see the last of the lives of the universe."

"You complete and utter dick," Carter snarled at it. "You think that just because you're dying you can take the rest of us with you."

"I can, and I will."

"That's it I'm murdering your ass." Carter took out her scythe and prepared to kick some High Breed butt when Ben grabbed her arm.

"I have an idea," he told her. "Omnitrix, can you repair the genetic damage to the High Breed? All of them?"

"Genetic manipulation on that scale will require all available power," said the Omnitrix.

"Guys, look at the Earth," Gwen said, pointing to the video feed attached to the ceiling. There was gigantic golden glow appearing on the little blue planet. And then there was a golden flash inside the room. The flash turned humanoid, with arms and legs and a familiar face attached along with it.

"Newt!" Carter exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

And then he opened his mouth.

"_Through it all, I've made my mistakes.__  
><em>_I stumble and fall, but I mean these words."_

Blood was spurting out of his eyes and nose, but he was smiling as he was condensed into a small ball of light.

"Genetic reconnaissance sequence is ready," said the Omnitrix.

"No!" the High Breed Supreme shouted. "What are you doing?"

"Wait for it," Ben called out triumphantly. The small ball of light smashed into the dial of the Omnitrix, entering it and turning green. Ben held up his arm as the Omnitrix grew even brighter.

And Newt's voice rang out throughout the room.

_I want you to know,__  
><em>_With everything I won't let this go.__  
><em>_These words are my heart and soul._

There was something coming out of the Omnitrix, a white vibration that stretched throughout the throne room and beyond. It was going throughout the planet-no, past the planet thanks to the jump gate. It was blinding and beautiful and it became haunting as Newt's voice faded away.

_I'll hold on to this moment, you know,__  
><em>_As I bleed my heart out to show,__  
><em>_And I won't let go._

When the light faded, the High Breed Supreme roared, "What have you done?!" Everyone turned to see that he was red. In fact, all the other High Breed in the throne room had something added to them, be it becoming a different color of the rainbow or some kind of extra appendage attached to them.

"I ordered the Omnitrix to reprogram your DNA," Ben explained.

"And judging from the new look, I'd say it worked," Kevin said.

"Omnitrix?" Ben looked at his watch.

"Programming complete," it said. "All High Breed in range of transmission are now genetically transfused with random species from Omnitrix database."

"In range of transmission?" the High Breed Supreme parroted. "With the jump gate's open for the attack-!"

"Every High Breed in the galaxy is now a…uh, how'd you put it?" Azmuth asked the teenagers.

"He called us mongrels," Gwen told him, smirking at the High Breed.

"Welcome to the kennel club," Kevin joked.

"How could you do this?" said the High Breed Supreme.

"He just saved you," Sam said like they were slow.

"You have made us impure. There is only one honorable act left to us."

"No," said a familiar voice-well, to Ben at least. A High Breed with a green arm suddenly appeared behind them. "There is another way."

"Reiny!" Ben exclaimed happily.

"You know him?" Sam asked puzzled.

"I know a lot of people."

"This human once cured an ailment of mine by changing my DNA," Reiny explained. "At first I thought the impurity a curse, but I have since learned otherwise. Fellow High Breed, we can live!"

The High Breed in the room talked amongst themselves in their own garbled language. "It is decided," the High Breed Supreme said once they were finished. "The High Council elects you High Breed Supreme. Lead us wisely."

Reiny bowed. "I will try," he said humbly.

* * *

><p><strong>A little while later<strong>

Lo Soledad was no longer in shambles.

In fact, it looked exactly like it did back in its heyday. The buildings looked newly constructed, the roads no longer cracked and covered in weeds, and the snow and the weather towers were gone. Only the jump gate remained.

"Newt did this," Carter breathed when she saw it. "Where is he?" she demanded to know.

Charlie shook his head. "I have no idea. He disappeared right before you guys left."

Beck took some goggles from out of his tool belt and put them on. After a moment, he said, "He was last seen in the heart of the compound. Maybe there are some clues."

Carter and a newly deformed Ship immediately ran towards the middle of the place, leaving everyone in their dust. Everyone else soon followed because the last of the armada was gone.

It only took ten minutes to find the blood.

It was everywhere: on the ground, on the weeds, even against the side of the building. Beck did a quick scan and whispered, "That's almost four liters. No one could survive that."

"Just what did he do?" Dark Star said somewhat horrified. Suddenly a flash of blue light appeared, and the blood was gone. It was replaced by Professor Paradox and a completely healthy and refreshed Newt.

When he took in their shocked faces, he said, "You thought I was dead, didn't you?" He was immediately glomped by Ship, the Pride, Gwen, Beck and Charlie.

And to finish it all off, Max took a silver cylinder out of his coat pocket, uncapped it, and threw it at the jump gate. With a flash of light it detonated, and the explosion quickly ate away at the gate, making it like it was never there.

"Fusion grenade," Max explained.

"I need one of those," Evan said when he finally looked up.

Suddenly Carter's phone rang. "Come home, it's past your curfew," Cordelia said when she picked up.

"Cordelia?" Carter said, shocked. "Where are you? What happened to all of you after the armada disappeared? And since when did I have a curfew?"

"We all went home before the remaining armada left. And you have a curfew just for tonight. No 'happy to be alive' sex for you," she teased.

Carter shut off her phone, growling out, "Damn you Cordelia." She then sighed and said, "Cordelia's being impossible today. Let's just get home."

"So they're all safe?" Newt asked hopefully. She smiled.

"They're fine. Now let's get going." Ship chose that moment to change into his gigantic ship form. As the Pride and other Slayers boarded, Ben quickly grabbed Carter by the arm.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow?" he asked hopefully.

She smirked. "Oh, definitely. Oh right, I almost forgot." She turned to Max. "Are you going back to the Null Void?"

"Nope." Max shook his head. "After seeing Ben's recruits in action, they need training from an old pro. You all sure don't need me anymore."

Sam snorted. "They'll always need you." With that statement the old man was pulled into another hug by his grandkids.

Suddenly Kevin's car drove all by itself towards them, its extra weapons hidden away. It stopped dead right in front of Kevin. "How…?" he began.

"You're welcome," Newt called out from within the spacecraft.

"Good for you, huh?" Sam said. She turned to Carter. "I think I got another ride home." She then walked over to Kevin, who took her hand and led her into the car.

Evan took Gwen's arm and said, "Come on, you can help me drive." He then led her into the ship, though she wasn't exactly protesting.

That left Carter and Ben alone in the middle of the base. Dark Star had disappeared during all the excitement (they'd get him some other time). Max and the rest of the young recruits were gone, along with the Null Void abomination he brought along. Kevin and Sam had long since driven away. Everyone else was tucked away inside Ship. Carter and Ben smiled at each other-

"Nice working with you again Ben," Paradox interrupted, a shit-eating grin on his face. Both teens grumbled. "It's time to take Azmuth home."

"There's a lot of rebuilding to do back on Galvan," the alien said happily.

"Before you go, can you reengage the master control?" Ben asked. "That DNA wave seems to have reset the Omnitrix."

Azmuth studied it. "Yes, it has. And it seems like your friend Newt left quite a bit of power in it, thus making it usable again. Have fun figuring it out." The Professor and the Galvan then disappeared in a flash of blue light.

Ben turned the dial on the watch, studying the new aliens. "Oh man, I don't recognize any of these guys." He turned to Carter and settled down, the holograms fading away. "I can figure it out some other time."

"I'll have you know that I only have a couple hours till curfew," she said, smirking.

"Then we better make this count," he said, leaning in.

* * *

><p><em>This seems like a good time to go on hiatus, but I won't. I still have some time left before I head off to college and I got a few more chapters that I want to upload. But this story is eventually going on hiatus, no doubt about that.<em>

_So, thoughts anyone?_


	62. Ben Tennyson Gets It Together

Chapter 62: Ben Tennyson Gets It Together

_The main reason why I despise season 3 of Alien Force so much is because of how Ben is portrayed. The first two seasons he's a capable leader while still retaining a childish side. Season three turns him into an arrogant man-child. I can't write him like that-I can barely watch him act like that- so I changed it up. And I can get away with it too because artistic license, bitches. (lol)_

_That's what makes the chapter title so much more significant. It's taken from the fourth Scott Pilgrim volume where Scott sort of gets it together, but ultimately doesn't. In my story, Ben does get it together, and it's thankfully a lot sooner than anyone thinks._

_Also, Game of Thrones reference. Can you spot it? (Hint: it has a very obvious setup.)_

* * *

><p><strong>One month later<strong>

For once it was a quiet night.

Phineas looked out from his office balcony, a cigarette trapped between his lips. The tip was lit, a burning, bright beacon in the otherwise black night. The moon was bright and mostly full, and the smoke wafting from the end of the cancer stick was hard to see in the light.

He sucked in a puff, slowly exhaling a cloud of smoke. He could feel the smooth, cool rush of nicotine hit his bloodstreams. He didn't know why the other Immortals didn't continue the habit; it wasn't like smoking could kill them and their grandkids were smart enough not to smoke. At least, he hoped they were.

Phineas was halfway through the cigarette when he received a text message. Normally he would have ignored it-it was a nice night out and occasionally he needed a break from running a multi-billion dollar company-but he figured it wouldn't be smart to do that now. The other Immortals might need him, or his daughter Sandra might want to start up a conversation (she rarely texted, she knew how busy her father was, and he honestly preferred to hear her voice).

He took out his phone and viewed the message: _Something's wrong with the underground. Come quick. –I._

His brow furrowed. Isaac was being more cryptic than usual. Phineas vaguely wondered if he was always like this with the Pride or if this was a one-time thing. Either way something was up with the intelligence system or something. He was needed. Again.

He looked up at the almost full moon and sighed.

* * *

><p>The underground was always quiet, but unlike the peace of the surface this was a manmade silence. All Phineas could hear were his footsteps hitting the crumbling earth, his form dwarfed by the scooped out tunnels of Bellwood's underground spider web. The light bulbs attached to the ceiling were spread far apart and flickered often, leaving the walker in long stretches of darkness.<p>

In retrospect, this may have been a smart decision. Once Phineas entered the official headquarters, with all its supercomputers and low lighting, his eyes had long since adjusted to the gloom. Looking at the bright monitors hurt, but he could otherwise see through the dark.

Tonight there were few people about. The DNAlien attack on HQ had devastated personnel, security, and the basic trust the Slayers had in the system's network. People had been working around the clock to beef up security to that of D.C. levels, and new recruits fresh from the underground cities' colleges had long since been shipped to Bellwood to help with the restoration. It was steady yet quick work. The only thing slow was the rebuilding of trust amongst the younger Slayer generation.

Phineas didn't have time to think of that now. Isaac was gesturing to him from one of the supercomputers. The brunette worker typing at the keyboard turned her head to speak to Isaac, informing him of something. Phineas walked up to hear what.

"…there haven't been any more fluctuations in the energy supply. Are you certain this is something more sinister than a computer error?" the technician was asking, narrowing her blue eyes.

"I'm not certain," Isaac admitted. "But I wouldn't have survived for so long if I wasn't suspicious of everything." He noticed Phineas and told her, "Roll back the transmission feed." He turned to him and asked, "What do you make of this?"

Phineas took a look at the large window that popped up. There were white lines against a blue background. The lines were constantly vibrating to show the amount of electricity humming through HQ.

And then the lines dipped sharply downward, almost to the bottom of the window. And then they snapped back, going back to its usual humming. It had only been a second; it would have been easy to miss for even the most attentive of people.

Phineas frowned. "When did this happen?"

"About thirty minutes ago," Isaac answered. "We have someone down at the plant checking what's up."

"You've been upgrading the electric plant, haven't you?" Phineas asked. "Could just be an installation problem."

"We added in all the installations days ago," Isaac revealed. "We've had programmers and technicians working around the clock to make sure they've been operating correctly. According to the reports there's nothing wrong."

"When was the last checkup?"

"This morning."

Phineas's frown deepened. "It could still be a minor malfunction."

"We should hear back from the worker I sent in." Isaac frowned. "Actually, we should have heard back from him already. How long does it take to walk to the plant?" he asked the technician at the keyboard.

"Approximately ten minutes from here even if he hurries, sir."

"That gives him twenty minutes to do a diagnostics test," Phineas said. "Not exactly a lot of time."

"Still we should have heard a report from him by now," Isaac mused. He turned back to the screen, eyeing the popup window where the plant's electricity supply was shown. It was still humming very peacefully.

…Until it dipped sharply once more. This time the lines stayed down for one, two, three beats before going back up. Only a slacker could have missed that.

"It's more than a minor malfunction," Phineas said quietly. He could feel it. There was something wrong with the air in a part of HQ, the molecules beating a rhythm that was out of tune with the rest of the underground. There was a hint of ozone permeating from the direction of the plant, he realized, the scent of lightning cloying the air. It felt unnatural yet oddly familiar.

Phineas didn't like this one little bit.

"Patch me through the technicians in the plant," Isaac ordered. The worker's fingers flew across the keyboard, bringing up the popup window for the underground's phone directory. She clicked on a link and the call was placed.

There was a loud vibration coming from the supercomputer; it was to replace the obnoxious fifties ringtone the computer used to have. For forty-five seconds the phone rang before it was cutoff.

"No one home?" Phineas asked lightly.

"There's always someone there," Isaac said. "Try again," he ordered the technician. She reconnected the call and waited forty-five seconds. Nothing.

"Wanna go for a third time?" Phineas joked. "You never know, you might get lucky."

Isaac shot him a look before saying, "Patch me to the plant's video feed. Use all the cameras."

Her fingers flying over the keys, she brought up the windows for all five cameras in the plant. It showed the pristine white electric plant, a large room with a great metal pillar in the middle. Yellow lines stretched from the top of the pillar to the bottom, along with numerous cables attached all over. The entire thing was cased inside a Plexiglas fortress imbedded with castradinium, one of the strongest metals in the known universe.

Surrounding the fortress were computers and other machines used to diagnose the electric plant. In the daytime scientists in lab coats worked there, regulating the electricity flows as they spread out towards the rest of headquarters. In the nighttime other workers were there, some poor schmucks who wound up with the night shift, maintenance workers, the occasional guardsman walking through. No matter the time of day though there was always someone in there.

Except now there wasn't. It was completely empty. If that didn't sound off the alarm bells, nothing did.

"Focus all the cameras," Phineas said. "Zoom in as far as you can and sweep the room." The cameras focused, the items in the room rushing at them. The cameras moved over the room, the people watching the screen looking for any movement and any clue.

And then they saw it. A foot attached to a leg attached to a dead body.

"No," Isaac breathed.

It must have been the kid he sent to check up on the plant. He had been young, maybe mid twenties, but it was hard to tell. He was clearly dead, but there was no blood, no wounds, and no sign of a struggle. But the body was blackened, his skin crispy. His mouth had been stretched out in a scream, and his eyeholes were wide open, but the actual eyeballs were gone. In fact, there didn't seem to be any water on his person.

"Is he the only one in there?" Phineas demanded to know. The technician methodically moved the five cameras simultaneously, scanning over the rest of the room. There were no other bodies visible.

"Pull up timetables for all the people who should have been working there tonight," Isaac ordered. They were on the screen a moment later.

"When the first fluctuation occurred-exactly thirty-four minutes ago- only ten people were at the plant," the technician said through. "Three of them are currently on a forty-five minute break. Another three were changing shifts. No word on the other four."

"That means we have thirteen people unaccounted for," Phineas stated. He breathed deeply, feeling the molecules in the air shift dramatically. "We need to find the three on break and the people changing shifts and take them into questioning."

The technician smirked through red painted lips. "Already on it."

The two men left her to it, strolling away from her. "How long can we leave the plant unmanned?" Phineas asked his friend.

"At least three days," Isaac said. "We always need to do diagnostic tests every three days and replenish reserves. Since the last test was this morning…"

"We have a little over two days to find the culprit," Phineas finished. "Is there any way we can postpone the tests?"

Isaac thought. "I would personally rather not, but if it's an extreme case, we can postpone it for maybe a week. The plant does have plenty of excess reserves, but I hate to use them."

"I would to," Phineas admitted, "but this may be an emergency. That was no ordinary murder."

"Of course not," he scoffed. "The poor kid was burnt to death. Question is how. From what we've seen there were no scorch marks, no gasoline, no matches…" he grimaced. "It could be one of our own."

Phineas shook his head. "It wasn't fire."

"What then?"

"I think he was electrocuted."

Isaac raised an eyebrow.

"I have to look at the body to know for sure, but I do think electrocution is the cause of death," Phineas explained. "I've seen these kinds of attacks before. Whoever did this used the victim's own electricity supply against him. He targeted the fluids in the body and killed him from the inside. It's a surefire way of murdering someone without leaving a trace."

"Then we're dealing with either an air or fire user," Isaac said stoically. He took a deep breath. "Do you know who did it?"

"I don't, but whoever did this had a personal vendetta against that kid," he continued. "Electrocution from inside the body is a bad way to go. Really bad. And I think he used the plant to torture him. He did the first minor fluctuation to get someone's attention and then the second to brutally murder the kid."

It was dawning on Isaac. His pale skin turned a sickly color, sweat started to pour down his face, and his eyes were shining. "It wasn't a vendetta."

"What do you mean?"

"The first fluctuation was too short, anyone could have missed it," he said quietly. "And how would the murderer have known that I would send Stanley to check it out? There are plenty of other people I could have sent in for a report; it didn't have to be him."

"So this guy is just murdering whoever takes his fancy," Phineas said.

"No." Isaac turned to him, pleading. "Don't you remember what happened thirty years ago? We found an electrocuted body in the middle of the electric plant on this day, exactly thirty years ago. There were plenty of other bodies as well, all dead the same way…"

"…and drained of their life source." It hit him then. Phineas got out his phone and looked at the time. "And the body thirty years ago was found at two in the morning." He showed Isaac the screen. "It's 2:05 AM."

"The person who did it thirty years ago wasn't a person, but an electricity-hungry alien," Isaac went on grimly. "And it's most likely come back."

"But we got rid of it."

"Apparently not. Or it has kin, I don't know," he snapped. "Either way we have to quarantine the underground, trap this fucker and kill it again."

"And we leave the kids out of this," Phineas said.

"Of course we leave the kids out of it, we don't want them dead!" Isaac went to the others in the supercomputer room, barking orders. Phineas went to his back pocket and shakily got out his carton of cigarettes. He looked at it before putting it back, not even taking out one stick.

He should have known from the quiet night. No crickets had been chirping, no owls had been hooting, no bats flapping about. It had been so silent that he could hear his own breath as he puffed out a cloud of smoke.

Phineas should have been smarter. He should have known. In the deepest recesses of the most silent of nights was always the scent of foreboding, of danger lurking about.

He should have remembered that the night was dark and full of terrors.

* * *

><p><strong>Later, the same day<strong>

"You have got to be fucking kidding me."

Evan turned to Sam, videogame console in his hands. Her eyes were narrowed, her mouth turned into a scowl, and she was crumbling up the paper she had in her hands.

"What's wrong now?" he asked idly.

"Vilgax is coming."

He sat up straight and paused his game. "How do you know?"

"Cordelia sent me this note." Sam waved around the wrinkly paper. "Apparently he defeated the greatest heroes of ten worlds to combat Ben and his ten aliens."

"Well fuck."

"I know right?"

"Does Ben know?"

Sam shook her head. "Cordelia just sent this to me through shadow travel." She frowned. "Not gonna lie, I find that weird. Normally she calls or texts."

"Something's up on their side and they're not telling us," Evan quickly deduced. "I'm sure it's nothing bad though. Cordelia's working on it."

"And she's got all our grandparents helping her," Sam noted. "Lucille and Raph are sticking around to help with the restoration, so this whole mail thing could be a response to that."

"Great, we've now convinced ourselves that nothing's wrong," Evan said lightly, pressing the play button on his videogame.

Sam's brow was still slightly furrowed. "It still feels weird though. And we have to warn Ben about Vilgax. Not that I think he'll take it seriously," she added with a groan.

Evan grimaced. "Well, he has beaten Vilgax before. Add the invasion and he's probably going to have a swelled head."

"Not that he's shown it," Sam said diplomatically. "Sure, he's still kind of arrogant, but I thought it'd be a lot worse."

"He isn't ten anymore," Evan pointed out. "Maybe he's grown up."

"But he's still kind of cocky."

"Well, some things never change. I don't know how Carter puts up with him."

Sam rolled her eyes. "She's in love or something. And love makes you blind."

"But does it also have to make her deaf?" he muttered as his phone rang. He answered it, listened for a bit, and paused his game yet again. "Where's the alien? Really, there? Okay, you don't have to be so snippy! We'll see you in a few." He hung up, flung his console aside, and stood up. "We've got some sort of snake alien terrorizing the local populace downtown."

Sam stood up as well. "Are we calling Ben?"

Evan thought for a moment. "We probably shouldn't. Knowing Carter she's at Ben's place yelling insults at a TV show while he stares on in amusement and annoyance. We should leave them to it."

"Are we really going out like this though?" Sam gestured to their outfits. She was wearing form-fitting jeans, black converse shoes, and a blue long sleeved shirt with a scoop neck and a red number seven stitched to the chest. Evan was wearing jeans and sneakers as well, but he had forgone his long sleeved black shirt and just wore his green t-shirt with the black metallic dragon graphic on the front.

Evan shrugged. "These are our new outfits for season three, so why not?"

"I liked my old outfit better." Sam plucked at her scoop neck despondently.

"Yeah, but Gwen's wearing red this season, so you have to wear something else," he pointed out. "We have to make this color coded for the viewers' convenience."

"The viewers are morons."

"Yeah, but we can't tell them that." Evan and Sam turned to the camera filming them and stared out into the audience. In a low, threatening manner, he said, "You didn't hear any of this."

Sam glared into the camera. "And if you try calling us out on this, remember: _we know where you live_."

They both glared at the audience as the screen went black and the scene quickly shifted.

* * *

><p><strong>Finding the snake monster<strong>

Kevin had been knocked to the side and Gwen was being tied up by the snake alien when Sam and Evan finally showed up.

Before one of the alien's pet snakes could bite her, Evan shot at the monster, distracting it long enough for Sam to roast the arm holding Gwen up. The alien shrieked, dropping Gwen. Sam caught her before she could hit the ground.

Putting her down on the ground, the two girls prepared for action. "I thought snakes were supposed to rattle before they strike," Gwen said.

"I'm not… a rattle-ssssssssnnnnnake," the monster hissed.

"He's got a good point," Sam pointed out.

"Whatever!" Gwen snapped. "I was just making conversation." She then flung mana disks at the alien. The alien dodged all four of them and neared the two girls. Sam quickly brought up the shield on her bracelet and braced herself only to have Kevin body slam into the serpent.

"I was looking for some metal to absorb," he quickly explained while he punched at the alien with metal-covered arms. "Hold still!" he ordered the alien, who was dodging his fists. The alien instead spewed green venom at him. Blind, Kevin tried to get it off, only to be flung off the alien by a snake arm.

Before Snake-Man could get to him, Gwen put up a mana shield in between them. She then used her powers to break the top off a conveniently located fire hydrant. The water spurted out towards Kevin, getting into his face and washing the venom from his eyes.

Meanwhile Evan ran up towards the alien, shooting at it with only one gun. The ground shifting he sprung up towards the head of the alien. It hissed as he latched on it, his legs around its neck. Punching at the throat, the snake alien opened its mouth with a snarl. Evan used that cue to start shooting into the mouth.

The alien tried to shake him off and only succeeded when Evan jumped off, did a back flip in midair and landed safely on both feet. Disoriented, the snake alien looked woozily at them, swaying dangerously. Sam then ran up to it and summoned a ring of fire around the alien, trapping it.

"Evan now!" she shouted.

"Done!" Evan forced the earth to spread out around the alien, trapping it in a dome with plenty of smoke and very little air.

"Don't worry, the fire's out," Sam told Gwen reassuringly. "The air will be smoky in there, but he'll survive." She then went over to Kevin to help him get the acid off.

Evan got out his phone. "Hey, do you think we could call the Plumbers to pick this guy up?"

Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't we?"

"Oh, you have their number?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'll call them." She went over to the side to deliver the news. In the meantime Sam came back with Kevin, whose face was free of acid.

"Glad to see your okay," Evan said.

"I'm glad we didn't need to call in reinforcements," Sam said relieved.

Kevin's brow furrowed. "Where is Tennyson, anyway?"

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile…<strong>

"There's something wrong with the remote," Ben said, studying it.

Carter stopped sipping her smoothie long enough to shoot him a look and drawl out, "Right…"

"No, seriously, it keeps blinking all of a sudden." He hit it with the palm of his hand as it began to glow.

Carter stood up from the bed and kneeled down to examine it. "Maybe your powers are on the fritz?"

"I don't feel anything going wrong," Ben mused as the glowing faded. Suddenly something fizzled right in front of them. It was a humanoid shape and vaguely grayish. Carter calmly put her smoothie on the dresser and forced her fingers into ice claws. Sighing, Ben just shook his head.

The humanoid took shape to reveal lavish green robes with a matching headdress. A gray face peeked out of the ensemble. "Pardon the intrusion, Ben Tennyson, I mean you no harm," the man said, holding out a hand. Carter reluctantly retracted her claws. Ben just rolled his eyes.

The alien man bowed. "I am Lukic, senior ambassador of the Drakosian empire."

"Nice to meet you," Ben said.

"Likewise," the ambassador replied. "I have been granted the great honor of presenting you this," a purple box was teleported into his hands, "as a small token of gratitude for your part in saving all life in the universe from extinction at the hands of the High Breed. My people present you with the galactic medal of honor." Bowing yet again, Lukic opened the box to reveal a medal with a black center, a purple outer ring, and a yellow triangle attached to the southeastern part of the emblem.

Carter gave an appreciative whistle. "Swanky."

"Yes, it is indeed very…swanky," the ambassador agreed. Taking it out of the box, he put the medal over Ben's head. "It is the highest honor a non-Drakosian can be given."

Ben idly looked at it and said, "Thanks. You know, I could probably turn into one of you guys, make it more official."

Lukic walked back towards the spot where he teleported in. "The people of Drakosia marvel at your power, and offer you our gratitude." He got down on his knees and bowed deeply, his forehead nearly hitting the floor. And then his body fizzled away, teleporting out of Ben's messy bedroom.

"Yeah, that's what they all say," Ben said tiredly, taking off the metal.

"…You get that a lot nowadays, huh?" Carter said. Ben opened a part of his closet to reveal a large pile of other medals and trophies. He tossed the newest addition onto it, and the pile collapsed. Ben quickly swept it back into the closet and shut the door.

"Just how many more people have been in your room?" Carter asked curiously as Ben flopped onto his bed.

"Too many to count," he said. "Though I want to know how they found out where I lived."

"They probably tracked your bio-signature or something."

"Great, now everyone in the universe knows where I live." Ben groaned into his pillow.

"It can't be that bad," Carter said.

He gave her a look. "You just saw all those medals and trophies. And while I admit being rewarded for saving the universe is great, the amount of people teleporting into my room is getting annoying."

Carter raised an eyebrow. "You do know other people helped you save the universe, right?"

"Of course I do," Ben snapped at her. Almost involuntarily his eyes drifted towards her neck, where her choker was. His gaze softening, he repeated, "Of course I do…"

Carter wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. Instead she spread out her arms, as if waiting for a hug. Ben gave her a look, then half of his mouth quirked into a smile. He hugged her, breathing deeply as he wound his fingers through her hair, reassuring himself that she was still there, in his arms, safe and sound.

…And then the phone rang, breaking the spell. Instantly regretting letting go, Ben got out his cell and answered. "What's up?"

"Where were you?" Gwen demanded to know. "There was a snake alien and we needed help."

"I never got the call," Ben answered. "And neither did Carter. You sure you called us?" That made Gwen pause. "Besides," he went on, "I'm sure you called Evan and Sam and they helped. Are you still fighting the alien?"

"…No."

"Then you don't always need my help," he told her. "Sure, it'd be easier, but it's not like you can't handle yourselves."

Gwen didn't answer. There was some noise going on in the background, and a different voice took over. "Ben, we need to talk. Come to Mr. Smoothie."

"Am I in trouble?" Ben said lightly.

"If I'm right, then we all are," Sam said seriously.

* * *

><p><em>If what canon says is true, then that means a bunch of aliens are teleporting into Ben's room unannounced. They have good intentions, but it's still trespassing. And who's to say that only Ben was in his room? What if it was his parents, who don't have a lot of experience with aliens? What if Ben was changing or something? And if diplomats have access to Ben's home, who's to say Vilgax doesn't? Fucking loopholes. -.-'<em>

_So, thoughts anyone?_


	63. Ben Tennyson's Precious Little Life

Chapter 63: Ben Tennyson's Precious Little Life

_It looks like I won't be able to upload the next few chapters on schedule like I originally planned, so instead I'll be uploading them roughly every day until they're gone. The story goes on hiatus by the end of the week 'cause, you know, college. _

_Two more things: this arc is going to be rather long; I didn't intend for that to happen, it just did. It's also going to be extremely dark and scary, starting from next chapter. Like, it could make the story rating go to M. I'm not kidding. _

_But we'll get there when we get there. On with the show!_

* * *

><p><strong>One explosion and curb-stomp battle later<strong>

"'…in one Earth rotation I will return to this place, to battle the one called Ben 10 for the fate of the Earth,'" the recording said. It was currently playing on Sam's phone, sent to her by Phineas of all people. It cut short then.

"So I'm guessing the big explosion and the sudden force field are all Vilgax as well," Evan said blithely, pointing out the obvious. He leaned back against the table and took a sip of his smoothie.

"Your grandpa's fine by the way," Sam told Ben and Gwen quickly. "He and his little class of future Plumbers went to intercept him, but they all got taken out. Fortunately they only got a few bruises from Vilgax."

"They went up against _Vilgax_?" Gwen shrieked. Carter put a hand over her mouth and glared at her.

"Let the entire world know we're aliens too, why don't you?" she hissed as she quickly looked around. Luckily the lot was empty save for the six of them.

"And they're fine?" Ben asked again, worried. Sam nodded.

"Like I said, only some bruises. Cordelia's looking after them, I think. Good thing Vilgax wasn't interested in fighting at the time."

"And if Ben doesn't show up for this battle?" Kevin asked, getting back to the point.

"Knowing his record, Vilgax will either enslave all of us or destroy the planet," Evan said, throwing his head back. "Either way we're in a tight spot."

"Include the fact that something's up with the Slayer headquarters and we're in between a rock and a hard place," Carter pointed out.

"What's going on over there?" Gwen asked curiously.

"We don't know," she admitted. "It's just that usually whenever there's alien activity or something else going on Cordelia or Isaac either call us or text us. However, today Cordelia sent us a letter through shadow travel."

"And she never does that. Ever," Sam insisted.

"And then Phineas sends us that recording, except he never gives us our missions," Carter finished.

"So something's up," Kevin stated.

"It could just be the latest installations," Evan said hopefully. "After the DNAlien attack on the Bellwood branch we've been installing new equipment and security measures. This could have something to do with that."

"Or it could be something bad," Sam pointed out.

"Hey, I'm trying to keep a positive attitude here," Evan snapped at her. "We've got one megalomaniac trying to destroy the Earth. We don't need the extra doom and gloom, Sam."

"I'm trying to be realistic," she snapped back. "Cordelia and Isaac are always predictable when it comes to Pride missions. Any changes must mean something horrible is happening."

"If there was something really horrible happening, don't you think they would have told us by now?" Evan pointed out.

"Maybe they think we can't handle it," Carter said darkly. "It could be something so bad that they can't drag us into it."

"I'd love to keep listening as you swap hypothetical grim scenarios, but we should really get back to Vilgax," Gwen interjected. "What are we going to do about him?"

"Well, no matter what happens, I still have to face him," Ben said stoically.

"You can't accept his terms," Carter told him. "It's a conqueror's challenge."

"And that is?"

"The Galvans set it up to limit the destruction caused by interplanetary wars," Sam quickly explained. "Rather than risk mass destruction, both planets can choose a single warrior to represent them. The winner becomes the ruler of both worlds." Everyone stared at her. She shrugged. "What can I say? I know war strategies. Something you should know." She narrowed her eyes at Evan, who took a sip of his drink nonchalantly.

"So I have to accept." Ben turned to Carter. "Sorry, but you lose this time."

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Kevin's car<strong>

Kevin quickly removed the radio part of his car to replace it with a video feed. Thanks to Slayer intelligence they had actual footage of Vilgax's return. The first scene was Max Tennyson shooting a laser right at Vilgax's chest. There was a loud explosion, and lots of red smoke billowing out of the alien.

"…Does anyone else get the feeling that this should have happened in a movie, not real life?" Evan asked nervously, looking around.

"Yeah, I'm actually getting it right now," Ben confessed, still looking at the video. Vilgax stepped out of the smoke, completely unharmed. "Oh come on, he shot you point blank! You should be hurt or something!" he yelled at the screen.

"Yeah, because he isn't indestructible or anything," Carter told him sardonically as Vilgax mouthed something. The feed wasn't good enough to pick up words, but it could pick up explosions, though they were muffled. This was another warning sign that something was up with the underground; normally visual evidence was of much higher quality.

"He's more powerful than ever," Gwen said, pointing out the obvious.

Sam gave herself a dope slap. "I completely forgot. Vilgax has been going around to ten different worlds, defeating their greatest heroes and absorbing their energy."

"I thought we already mentioned this," Evan admitted honestly. Everyone glared at the two of them. "Oh, what, like you all don't make mistakes," he retorted.

"Well this sucks," Ben grumbled, slumping against the back seat. "We could barely beat him in the old days."

"You mean, back when you two were ten," Sam pointed out, an eyebrow raised.

"We also had a grandpa with access to Plumber technology and wasn't, you know, hospitalized at the time," Gwen said dryly.

"I told you, he's fine," Carter insisted. "But yeah, he's not going anywhere for the time being."

"And he took down all those new Plumbers without breaking a sweat," Kevin noted. "We can't depend on them either."

"Not that we could depend on them in the first place," Evan told him. "They're not ready to handle any serious threat to the Earth. The High Breed invasion was an exception because we needed an easily led army."

"He's right," Ben agreed. "There's no rookie that could take on Vilgax and win. Besides, we're the A-team, we can handle him. Hopefully," he added hesitantly.

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "Still, it probably wouldn't hurt to have an edge." That was when he opened the garage door in front of them. Through the blinding light was a gigantic machine, built silver and painted Omnitrix green, connected with tubes and cylinders and other round objects. It easily took up a large portion of the garage.

"What's that for?" Ben asked once the shock wore off.

"You know you're Omnitrix?" Kevin jerked a thumb at it.

"Yeah…"

"We're gonna hack it."

* * *

><p><strong>Roughly ten minutes later<strong>

"This is a bad idea."

"I agree."

"You do?" Gwen asked Sam. The other girl raised an eyebrow.

"Well yeah. There are so many things that can go wrong with this. What do you think Ben?" Both redheads turned to their leader, who was off to the side at the moment.

"Stop talking," he told them. "I'm having a serious argument in my brain right now."

Both girls left him to it, while another one walked up to him hesitantly. Unlike the other four, Carter and Ben had not changed their outfits for the summer. While Kevin was sporting jeans, a white t-shirt, and a blue button up work shirt with oil stains and a name tag on it, Ben was still wearing his iconic outfit of jeans, black t-shirt and green jacket with the ten over the heart inside a white circle and two white bars on the sleeve. And while Gwen was wearing form-fitting jeans, ballet flats, a long sleeved red shirt with a black vest and her long hair tied up in a ponytail, Carter was still dressed in combat boots, black and purple striped stockings up to her thighs paired with a miniscule black skirt Starfire style, a black Linkin Park band t-shirt and a long sleeved black and purple striped undershirt. The leather choker with the silver belt buckle adorning her neck was the only change.

"You know this is a bad idea," Carter told Ben quietly. He turned to her brow furrowed.

"Ventus is saying the same thing," he said, "but I don't know. I mean, Vilgax is ten times more powerful now. Grandpa Max is out of commission, and Gwen and you guys can't help me because this is a conqueror's challenge or whatever it's called. It'd make more sense to have some extra power as backup."

"Except you do realize that by messing with the Omnitrix you could make things much worse for yourself," Carter pointed out. "You could short out the time you have as an alien, or short out the reserve power it has, or even end up destroying it, with you along with it." Her face was still stoic, yet her voice softened at those last few words.

"I know that too," Ben said solemnly. "But some things are worth the risk."

"You ready Tennyson?" Kevin called out from the fantastical machine. Ben took a deep breath and went over to the side, where he put his hand on the mini operating table.

"I still don't think this is such a good idea," Gwen told them all as Kevin set up the procedure. From his vantage point at the controls, he grinned.

"Relax. I've been, uh, _acquiring_ stuff we need to fix the Omnitrix from the Null Void for months."

"And you wouldn't have half of the machinery if it weren't for me and Evan," Sam pointed out from the sidelines. Evan was sitting right next to her, arms crossed and leg shaking.

"Am I'm very thankful for that," Kevin said loudly as he went back to the controls.

"You've been finding stuff for months?" Ben asked, grinning. "Wouldn't it be years, since you tried to take the Omnitrix from me back when we were kids?"

"Let it go Ben," he said quietly, the smile on his face frozen.

"It's too risky," Gwen insisted.

"And the three of us agree," Evan piped up for the first time in ten minutes. "There are so many ways this could go wrong it's not even funny."

"Actually I agree with you," Ben said surprising nearly everybody in the room. "It's also extremely risky if we don't. The last time I threw Vilgax into space I had you and Grandpa Max helping me," he told Gwen. "This time I have to face him on my own. If we can bypass the safeguards and actually hack the Omnitrix, I can do anything by myself."

"You ever stop to think why Azmuth put those safeguards there in the first place?" Gwen asked her voice softer.

"Hey, I accidentally got past them once without anything bad happening. Why can't it happen now?" Ben said lightly. He turned to Kevin and pointed a finger. "But if anything happens, I'm going to blame you."

"Of course you would," he said through gritted teeth.

"It was your idea!"

"Accessing the user interface," Kevin said loudly. A small green beam landed on the Omnitrix, right in the middle of the top plate. The Omnitrix glowed, revealing the tron like markings inside. The operating table grew four tiny claws and clamped themselves onto the Omnitrix, holding it in place.

Suddenly the watch reverted right back into its original form, the big, bulky shape from when Ben was ten years old. Confused, he turned to Kevin, who smiled apologetically. "Oh, sorry," he said, eyes going back to the controls.

Gwen had to ask: "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Kevin gave the universal okay sign with his hand. "As much as ever." The bulky Omnitrix morphed into its smaller, sleeker form. "See? Nothing to worry about-!" he was cut off when the watch beeped out an alarm and glowed brightly.

And then the hologram of Azmuth, creator of the Omnitrix, appeared atop the Omnitrix. He did not look pleased.

"It was Kevin's idea," Ben said quickly, averting his gaze.

"You _son of a bitch."_

"Leave my mother out of this!"

"This is no time for the blame game, Ben Tennyson," Azmuth said sternly. "My disappointment with you is great. I had thought you possessed the maturity to wield the most powerful weapon in the universe."

"And then you pay the slightest bit of attention," Gwen said, calling him out on his behavior.

"It is only very recently that Ben has strayed from the heroes' path," the Galvan told her.

"Actually he hasn't much," Sam pointed out. "You'd think the whole 'saving the universe' thing would give him an inflated ego, but it really hasn't. Honestly, that makes me kind of proud." Everyone pondered this for a moment before murmuring their agreement.

"You guys are awesome," Ben said quietly. He cursed silently at the sudden dampness in his eyes.

"I suppose it has. Still, you must grow into the role of a hero," Azmuth interjected seriously. "The full power of the Omnitrix cannot be entrusted to you just yet. Do not tamper with the Omnitrix again, Ben Tennyson. You are not ready." And with that warning the hologram fizzled out.

"Whoa," Kevin breathed.

"Seriously," Gwen said. "You really dodged a bullet that time Ben."

"I agree." Ben nodded his head. "And it's not something I want to experience again. So if you would just let me go…" he gestured to the operating table, where the claws were still clamped on his wrist.

"Oh yeah," Kevin said quickly as his fingers flew over the controls. A moment later Ben removed his hand and stepped away from the machine, holding his Omnitrix wrist.

"So with that option out the window," Evan started.

"We can focus on how to take out Vilgax with what you have," Sam finished.

"And I know just the guy who can help," he said cheerily. "My grandpa's been part of the army since I was a kid. And since he's about five thousand years old he should have plenty of military knowledge at his disposal."

"Problem is he's at headquarters, which we're not allowed to go into for some reason," Carter pointed out.

"Then we'll have to force our way in," Ben said stoically. "There have to be other entrances there, or maybe some weak points."

"Well sure, but we've never broken into headquarters before," Sam said worriedly. "It feels…wrong. I mean, we've done worse, but still."

"I don't think we have a choice," Gwen said gently. "And from what you've told us earlier, something is clearly up with your grandparents. They may need our help."

"I really hope they don't," Carter confessed. "If they can't handle the situation, there's no way we can."

"Never hurts to try," Kevin said, shrugging.

Evan grinned. "Then let's go. To the Kevin-mobile!"

"Don't call my ride that!"

"Why not? It works." The two boys argued out of the garage with the others following. The only one to stay back was Ben, who was looking unusually pale.

"How are you feeling?" Carter asked him gently, turning back around.

"I've been better," he said quietly. "Hacking the Omnitrix wasn't the smartest of ideas."

"We knew that since the beginning," she said, rolling her eyes. "But now isn't the time to dwell on it. We've got to find out what's happening at headquarters, not to mention Vilgax in the morning."

Ben took a deep breath, exhaled, and said, "You're right. Let's go." He walked towards the garage door, but not before taking Carter's hand into his own. He was shaking slightly, the tremors travelling towards her. She held on tightly, but the shaking didn't stop.

* * *

><p><strong>Later<strong>

"And again, I forgot you were loaded," Kevin said as they drove past the sign saying Sterling Hills.

"Well, it's not like it comes up very often," Sam pointed out. "Besides, I thought it was obvious. I mean, you've seen Cordelia and Isaac. They look like people who are used to the lap of luxury."

"They are," Carter said easily.

"I always thought they looked more like people out of the Victorian era," Gwen admitted. "I mean, they look ageless, so…"

"Yeah, you do get that vibe from them," she said, nodding.

"We should really be focusing right now," Ben told them. "Is there any way we can get into Slayers headquarters?"

"Well, there are hundreds of hidden passageways all over Bellwood, but I know a few around the house that we could use," Carter explained. "The only problem is knowing which of them are sealed."

"We could always try that," Evan said, waving a hand. Carter knew exactly what he meant.

"Think it'll work?"

"I don't see why not."

"What are you talking about?" Gwen asked, confused.

"You'll see in a few minutes," Sam told her, grinning.

Kevin eventually pulled up onto the driveway of Carter's home, a mesh between a normal mansion and a French chateau. It looked void of life, and seemed much more menacing in the moonlight.

Once Kevin had parked the car, everyone came out into the cool night air. Evan walked a ways away from the rest, going out to the front yard. Everyone followed him, three of them unsure of what he was doing.

"Gwen, remember our last meeting with Albedo?" Sam asked the redhead suddenly.

She arched an eyebrow. "Yeah, what about it?"

"You had problems using your powers to track him because of all the technology in the building."

"How does that apply here?"

"Evan used to have that same problem growing up," Carter explained. "He's connected to the earth, so having a bunch of manmade technology surrounding him tampered with his powers, especially when it came to tracking people."

"But when he was ten he found a way of getting around that," Sam continued. "No matter how refined or corrupted the metal in the technology is, the components that make it up all came from the same source: the earth."

"It took him a while, but he found a way to use that idea and created a shortcut to track people," Carter said. "It's still a bit unrefined, but it works."

"Think I can learn how to do that?" Gwen asked excitedly.

Sam shrugged. "I don't see why not. He taught us how to do it."

"And no Ben, you can't learn," Carter said when she saw Ben about to pipe up.

"Why not?" he whined.

"You're the air guy. Earth is your exact opposite. You wouldn't be able to figure it out even if you tried."

"If you guys are done talking about me while I'm right in front of you, I'll begin," Evan cut in. Carter and Sam put up their hands in mock surrender and watched as he knelt down onto the grass, breathed in, out, and slammed his open palm onto the ground.

A pulse was sent out through the ground. Instead of seeing the lush green lawn and the impressive house behind him, all Evan could see was darkness. For a moment he was suspended in the tar black night, before white lines like stencil designs played about in his vision. He could see the markings make up the house behind him, the lawn, and his friends. He could make out passageways in the ground, tunnels carved in the rock from all over the Hills, heading in different directions.

Evan pulsed again, making the image behind his closed eyes sharper. He could make out the tunnels leading into the Valentine manor, from the one behind the portrait of Isaac and Cordelia to the one in the basement. They had been sealed, earthen bricks filling up the entrances like an impenetrable wall. Evan pulsed a third time and went to the back garden, right in between the flowerbeds where an ancient tunnel was hidden-

His eyes snapped open. "Found it."

"Really? Where?" Carter had to ask. She hadn't honestly thought that Evan could find an opening. They would have been all sealed off by now.

He pointed towards the house. "There's a really old opening in the back gardens. From the look of things it's been ages since it's been last used."

Carter began to lead the others to the back of the manor. "The last time I checked the blueprints there wasn't any design of a tunnel in the gardens," she said.

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "And when exactly was the last time?"

"About two weeks ago," she told him. "I was digging around in Isaac's study and found them. Not gonna lie, it was surprising that he would leave so much evidence out in the open."

"But they're the blueprints to your house," Ben said, puzzled.

"The blueprints also show the locations for just about all the tunnels that lead into the underground," Carter stated. "If people find out about that, the Valentine family looks suspicious. It's better to have that kind of thing locked up where no one can easily access it."

"Okay seriously, how long does it take to get to the backyard of your house?" Kevin suddenly snapped. They had gone to the side and only just now went around the bend.

"Since we're going the outside route, about ten minutes?" Carter said, shrugging. The older teen groaned and followed along.

When they finally reached the backyard, they realized that it was a full moon out, and the gardens looked especially beautiful in the gauzy moonlight. There were millions of flowers, all yellows and reds and purples and whites with a few black flowers here and there. Along the pathways arches were scattered, manmade metal painted white with vines crawling up the sides. A few willow trees were spread out amongst the other plants, a few of them with ornate swing sets made for two people hanging from low branches.

"It's beautiful," Gwen breathed.

"How much do you pay your gardeners?" Kevin asked, his voice taking on an awed quality.

"I have no idea," Carter admitted. "But I'm guessing a lot." She turned to Evan. "So, where's this secret passageway?"

Evan knelt down again and put his open palm on the grass, pulsing yet again. With a clear view of the garden, he probed around for the entrance. It was actually not too far away, past only one of the archways.

He opened his eyes and said, "It's over here." He quickly went over to the first arch and walked under it. They all quickly followed, Kevin pausing long enough to snap off one of the flowers growing near it. He quickly stopped Sam and, with a smile, gave it to her.

She paused, examining the China tea rose in her hand. She smiled, mouthed the word, "Thanks," and weaved the flower through her thick hair so that it rested over her left ear. Kevin then grasped her hand and quickly led her towards the others.

Evan had led them to a small circle in the middle of the garden, a plain part of the lawn surrounded by blue and orange roses. It was a contrast from the natural yellows and pinks and reds from the rest of the garden. Orange roses were a natural part of nature, but nature didn't produce blue roses. The closest there could be to a blue rose was actually a light lavender color. Unless it was painted or dyed blue, it just didn't exist.

Evan went over to the side and said triumphantly, "Here's the switch. Everyone step back," he quickly ordered as the passageway slowly opened. Everyone cringed and covered their ears as the loud, irritating sound of rusty hinges finally being put to work screamed into the night. It took a monstrously long time for the tunnel to open, but when it did, instead of a plain piece of grass there was a giant gaping hole surrounded by circle of real and artificial roses.

Carter peered inside, looking down at the seemingly bottomless black pit. "There aren't any stairs or anything," she announced. "We'll have to jump."

"Great," Ben groaned as his phone suddenly rang. He quickly fished it out, about to curse at whoever was on the caller ID, only to realize that it was Phineas. He answered with, "Phineas, where are you? What's going on?"

A moment passed before Phineas said, "I need to talk to Gwen, Ben."

That made the teen blink. "Why?"

"Please," he pleaded, stunning Ben. Phineas never begged. Never. He was too…larger than life to go down on his knees and beg like a commoner. Whatever was going on in HQ had to be big.

"It's for you," he told Gwen seriously. She cautiously took the phone and said, "Hello?"

"Um, I'm really not good at these kinds of things," Phineas started when he finally answered. "It's just…I don't think this is going to end well, and I kind of wanted…"

"You wanted what?" Gwen asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I really wanted to see you kids grow up, you know?" Phineas babbled his words like a torrent. "It's just that over the past several centuries, a lot of my grandkids thought that just because their grandpa was loaded they could do whatever the hell they wanted. I didn't want to be used like that by the three of you, but it hurt knowing that you'd grow up without knowing one of your grandpas."

"Phineas what are you-"

"And there was the whole thing with your alien powers," he continued like she hadn't tried to interrupt. "I mean, Sandra's normal so I didn't know if Ben would have any powers, and Ken doesn't have the Anodite Spark so it would pretty hard to talk to him about all this. I mean, you go your entire life thinking there isn't any life out in the stars and suddenly you find out that you're entire family is made up of aliens. How do you go about explaining something like that?"

"I understand-!"

"And you know what's worse? Thanks to the High Breed invasion I couldn't get to know you."

Whatever Gwen was about to say died right there, on her lips.

"Ben started to realize his powers around the time Max disappeared, so I had to help him get some control over them in time for the invasion. Sure, the Omnitrix is blocking his full potential, but he can still use some of it. And it was great because I could actually talk to my own grandson. Sandra and Carl did a pretty good job raising him.

"But thanks to all that I couldn't get to know you. I can't talk to Ken because he's normal and all this alien business would overload him, but I could have, I don't know, talked to you over coffee or something. Jesus Christ I'm bad at this!" he broke off, as if to scold at himself. He then sighed and went on.

"Anyway, from what I do know about you it seems you have a good head on your shoulders. You'd have to, to keep Ben alive for all those years." Gwen had to smile at that. It faltered though, as Phineas continued to talk.

"I just wish I could've gotten to know you before tonight," he went on, sounding grief-stricken. "You have no idea how much I regret that. And I do love you, like you were my own flesh and blood. I just wanted you to know that."

Gwen wanted to say something, anything, but the words were dying in her throat. She wanted to tell him that they might as well have been flesh and blood. She wanted to say, "I love you," to him too, but it wouldn't be the same. She didn't know him as a grandfather, it'd be too weird. But from the way he was going on, it didn't seem like he…

"Tell Ben I love him, okay?" And Phineas ended the phone call. She stood there, gripping the phone, seething. _It wasn't fair!_ Ben got to know this whole different family while all she got was a short message. No matter how heartfelt it was, it didn't compare to actually getting to know someone.

"Tell him yourself," she muttered. She tossed the phone at her cousin.

"What'd he say?" Ben asked concerned. But Gwen wasn't listening. She stood over the edge of the hole.

"Gwen?" Sam asked, alarmed. But she was too far gone.

She had dived right into the rabbit hole.

* * *

><p><em>The next chapter is probably going to go up tomorrow or the next day. Stay tuned!<em>


	64. Phineas Carmichael&The Infinite Sadness

Chapter 64: Phineas Carmichael & the Infinite Sadness

_Reading this chapter again, I realized that while it certainly seems like an M rating, I've actually read stories that should have been for adults yet were in the young adult section of my library. So in my opinion, this chapter not worth giving the overall story a higher rating. But if enough people disagree, I will change it. (Unless you think I jumped the shark after this chapter... I don't know, that's what I'm feeling at the moment.)_

_Anyway, one more chapter after this and it's hiatus time. And thanks to all who wished me a good time at college! You really helped alleviate some of my anxiety. :D_

_P.S., Kevin's just a tiny bit out of character in the beginning. Then again, considering the position he's in, can you blame him?_

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for the others to jump down the rabbit hole.<p>

"Oh GOD WE'RE FALLING!" Kevin screamed fearfully as the wind blew past him, the darkness stretching before his eyes. "THIS REALLY SUCKS!"

"Calm down," Sam said in a bored tone, petals and a stem flying from her hair. "You're acting like we don't risk our lives every other day."

"HOW ARE YOU SO CALM? WE'RE FREEFALLING TO OUR DEATHS!"

"NO WE'RE NOT!" Ben cried out as the five of them suddenly slowed down. They were still falling, but instead of the pitch darkness rushing at them at light speeds, they were more like leaves from trees falling to the ground. Ben had to make circular motions with his arms to achieve that, but it paid off.

Gwen was the only one still rushing headlong. She had been the first to jump, and she used her powers to somehow slow her descent. She was already nearing the end, her mana creating a pink light that showed the bottom.

…the bottom had spikes.

"So that's why we never use the garden entrance," Carter said, the realization dawning on her. Kevin gave a small whimper as the sharp, rusty spikes loomed at them. Suddenly a pink rectangle appeared under their feet. The five of them landed heavily in a large pile, their limbs tangling together. Gwen quickly made a slide connecting the rectangle to the underground tunnel so her friends could easily get out of harm's way.

"I never want to do that again," Kevin said as he shakily moved towards the slide.

"Really? That was kind of fun," Evan said honestly as he slid headfirst down to the floor.

"What is _wrong_ with you?"

"Evan, the tunnel was too small for us to use our wings," Sam pointed out worriedly. "If it hadn't been for Gwen we probably would have died."

"…I find skydiving fun," Evan said lamely.

"Without a parachute?" Carter said as the rest of them slid down into the tunnel. Gwen forced back her powers and created a ball of light in her hand. The beam stretched out at least thirty feet into the tunnel. The rest was smothered in darkness.

"Well come on let's go," Evan said quickly leading the way. He put a hand of the left wall and pulsed once, keeping his eyes open. He could vaguely make out the stencil designs that made up the tunnels, thousands of them stretching underneath the town. He aimed his sight towards headquarters and pulsed again.

"We walk forward and make a left," he said walking towards the dark. The others quickly followed him, since no one wanted to be left alone underground.

"How many of these tunnels are under Bellwood?" Kevin asked curiously.

"Thousands, in the shape of a spider web." Carter added spooky side effects at the last part. Gwen visibly blanched.

"That's not including all the other tunnels in the rest of the world," Sam added.

"So there's really a tunnel to China?" Ben asked flippantly.

"Actually there's the underground bullet train for that," Evan told him. "Wait, are we adding the train tunnels?" he asked the other Pride members.

Kevin blinked. "Underground bullet train?"

"And now we turn left here," Evan said as he moved towards that part of the tunnel. Instead of another entrance, it was an elevator shaft that looked like it belonged in the early twentieth century.

"You've got elevators down here?" Gwen blurted out incredulously.

"Of course they do," Kevin muttered under his breath. Evan just pressed the button for it and waited. With a silent hiss the elevator came, easily gliding into position. With another hiss the doors opened, and everyone clamored in. It was already brightly lit inside, so Gwen turned off her mana light.

Somehow the elevator was big enough to hold them all and leave plenty of room. Another weird thing was that there were no buttons indicating where to go, only smooth silver walls.

"How are we supposed to get there?" Gwen huffed as the elevator doors slid shut.

"Well, last time Isaac tapped his cane on the floor and it moved there," Carter mused. Cupping her hands together she created ice, elongating and thickening it until it was a rough replica of Isaac's wizard cane.

"Everyone grab on tight," she ordered as she slammed the butt of the cane to the floor.

Instantly the elevator jerked sideways, forcing everyone to slam against the wall of the vehicle. Gwen searched for something to hold onto, but there was only smooth wall. They were going fast, too fast, nearly at the speed of light, they should have been squished to the side like bugs but they weren't and where was the sense in that?

The elevator jerked to a stop, shattering the ice staff and overall startling everyone. When the doors slid open they fell out onto the dirt floor in an awkward pile, groaning and with nausea creeping up their throats. It took a minute for them to disentangle their limbs and to get their bearings again.

"How do you guys do this all the time?" Ben asked his words slurred.

"We don't," Sam answered back, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. "We rarely go down here."

"Then how do you know-oh god." Kevin stopped short and paled, pointing a finger down the hall. Gwen didn't have to use her mana to light the way; the spaced light bulbs gave everyone a chance to see the husks littering the floor.

They were dressed in the black uniform of the Slayers, outfits made from African spider silk and multicolored masks. Except the masks had been broken to pieces, revealing the eyeless holes and the outstretched, screaming mouths of the dead. The skin was mottled gray, the limbs skeletal and brittle.

Carter was the first one to approach the bodies. She grimly examined one of them, glowing hands hovering over them without having to touch them. In a tight voice she said, "They were drained of their life force."

"Is that even possible?" Gwen asked quietly, not quite looking at the husks.

"It is. Evan does it all the time."

They turned to Evan, who had walked with Sam towards another body. He forced out one of his Colt guns and opened the cartridge, revealing the green energy swirling inside. "Normal bullets can be traced back to the gun and to the owner, so instead I use my own life force as bullets. Naturally this can hurt me over a long period of time, so once I shoot a bad guy I recycle their life energy into ammunition." He gave them an easy-going smile.

They stared back at him. "So, you're like a vampire," Kevin said.

Evan willed his gun back into its charm form. "I prefer the term recycling."

"You do realize what you're doing is wrong, right?" Gwen asked cautiously.

Evan looked back at Carter and Sam puzzled. Sam shrugged and Carter raised an eyebrow, looking just as confused as he was. "It's arguably more humane than actual bullets," Evan said slowly, trying to piece together what exactly was wrong with the scenario.

Ben looked like he wanted to argue more, but then he just sighed and asked, "So what's with the corpses anyway?"

Carter immediately snapped to attention. "No idea. Whoever did this most likely needs energy, and lots of it." She waved a hand over the numerous husks leading into headquarters. "So I'm guessing Gwen and Sam's powers and your Omnitrix shouldn't be used."

"And we're instantly cut down to half. Great," Sam said sarcastically.

"Doesn't matter anyway," Evan said as he started to walk down the hall. "Even if you could use your powers, whoever did this eats _life_ energy. All of us are targets."

"So basically we're all sitting ducks," Kevin muttered.

"Let's just go," Gwen snapped, following Evan. The rest followed suit, taking care to avoid the husks littering the floor. It felt wrong to label them as such-they had once been people with lives, after all- but there was no other way to describe them. It didn't help that more of these bodies were showing up in front of headquarters. The tension the young group of heroes was feeling only grew tenfold.

Evan was about to walk into headquarters when he suddenly stopped. He stood stock still, hands clenched as he shook his head. "Oh, no," he whispered. "_Oh god, please no_."

It didn't take long for the others to see what was wrong. What had once been a bustling room full of workers and operational supercomputers had become a bloodbath. While there were a few husks dotting the floor, most of the bodies had their throats slit, torsos riddled with bullet holes, bones breaking the skin and wrenched out in grotesque displays. And there had been at least fifteen corpses from wall to cavernous wall.

Despite the red liquid staining the ground, an epic battle had obviously been waged here. Stalactites had fallen from the ceiling and were pinned to the ground. Sediments of earth jutted from the floor, ragged columns that had been forced out of the ground and sharpened. Blood glistened from the tips, and vines and other plants were dripping with the stuff.

There were scorch marks too, from the very ceiling to the floor. There were impacts in the walls, from where the wind slammed the heavy object hard enough to leave dents. Shards of ice littered the floor, along with half-melted ice spires that erupted from earth and machine alike.

But that wasn't the worst of it. Oh no.

Because the horrified group of teenagers could see who truly lost the battle.

Raphael was hanging from the ceiling, a cable wrapped around his neck. He was swaying slightly, but there wasn't any wind to move him. Lucille was next to a supercomputer, wires and shards of metal jutting out of her abdomen. She was literally attached to the computer, blood congealing down her blue suit, her chin at her chest like she was about to fall asleep.

Isaac was nailed to a wall, arms and legs splayed out in the crucifix position. Whoever killed him had even put a stake through his heart. His head lolled to the side, eyes open and blank.

And Phineas was on the ground right in the middle, lying on his back in a pool of blood. His torso had been savagely torn open, revealing the ribs. His face stared up at the ceiling, his eyes open wide.

Someone was screaming, a high pitched wail sound that echoed through the cavern. Was it male, female? It didn't sound like it belonged to a person, or even one person. It was a medley of tears and emotions, the words jumbled together to create a rabble.

Someone was vomiting-Kevin-who could blame him? Gwen was crying-no one blamed her either. Ben stood there, stock still, mouth open to form words, but nothing came out. He only shook his head slightly, as if trying to disprove the scene before him. No one could blame him.

Only three of them were screaming, fingers tearing at their hair, tears streaming down their faces. It was a never ending wail of despair. Evan fell to his knees. Sam curled up into a little ball. Carter swayed at her feet.

Eventually they fell quiet.

Eventually it was deathly silent in the room.

Eventually there was a cough.

Phineas spluttered, blood coming out of his mouth. He jerked about, groaning in pain as he picked at his drenched shirt. And then he groaned in exasperation as he saw the wound on his chest.

He lay back down, annoyed. And then he saw the teenagers at the entrance. In a raspy voice, he said, "Normally I'd yell at you for being down here, but right now I need to sit up, preferably against the wall."

It took a while for them to react. Finally Ben yelled out, "PHINEAS!" and ran towards him, skidding to a stop and getting on his knees before his grandfather. It took a minute for the others to catch up.

"How are you still alive?" Kevin asked in a thick voice. His mouth still tasted like puke.

"Ben, do you know why I'm called an Immortal?" Phineas asked, his tone of voice similar to that of a teacher.

It took a while for him to answer. He had been staring at his grandfather with shiny eyes. Finally he said, "Because you have a really long lifespan."

Phineas hummed in approval. "Add to the fact that I'm the carrier for the Ventus gene, and I'm literally immortal. As in, I can't die," he added in case someone needed the explanation. "Now, would someone please get me to a wall? It'd be more comfortable for me to heal while I'm not marinating in my own bodily fluids."

Carter had two glowing hands out above his chest. "He's not kidding," she said quietly. "He should have died from this level of damage, but all the muscle tissue and skin is stitching itself back together at a rate faster than normal. I've never seen anything like it."

"The body will naturally heal itself in most cases, given enough time," Phineas explained hurriedly. "Isaac would give you a much more detailed explanation, but he's a bit tied up at the moment. Now, would you all _please get me to a wall_?"

Kevin and Evan immediately grabbed his arms and started to drag him from the pool of blood. Phineas grunted in pain, but gave no other hint of distress as the blood from his body streaked across the floor to the nearest patch of wall. It just so happened to be where Isaac was; Carter took an involuntary look at it before averting her gaze.

Situating himself until he was comfortable, Phineas got something out of his back pocket. It was a box of Marlboro cigarettes, squished and bent from the fighting. He got out a cigarette that wasn't completely flattened and said, "Sam."

The redhead kneeled down, her thumb and her pointer finger out so she could pinch and give life to the cancer stick. Instead, Phineas just swiped the end of it on her cheek, instantly lighting it. "Much faster," he said when she gave him an incredulous look.

"Won't smoking hurt the healing process?" Evan asked without thinking. Everyone avoided looking at the gaping hole in the older man's chest.

The cigarette dangling from his lips, Phineas gave him a long, hard stare before snapping, "Well, since I _can't fucking die_…" He trailed off when Evan averted his gaze shamefully.

Taking the cigarette out and blowing out some smoke, Phineas calmly said, "You kids shouldn't be here."

"Well, we're here now," Carter pointed out. "What's the situation?"

"Considering most of you can't help, I suppose telling you wouldn't totally hurt," Phineas said, rolling his eyes. "We have no idea what we're facing. It's a doppelganger, yet it's not. It's a vampire, yet it's not."

"That doesn't make any sense," Gwen protested, speaking up for the first time.

Phineas put the cigarette back in his mouth. "Neither does this alien." How he could talk with that thing in his mouth was a mystery. "Anyway, this…whatever showed up about thirty years ago, draining the energy from its victims. It first appeared in the electric plant and made its way to rest of headquarters. It took thirty lives before we could destroy it. And with it most of the underground. Not unlike now."

"It came back from the dead?" Ben asked skeptically.

"That's just it; we don't know," Phineas said. "So far the situation has been mostly identical: it showed up in the electric plant, sucked the life out of a few people, laid low while the rest of us tried to find it and spent its time finding victims and killing them via electrocution." He gave a shudder. "It used their own nervous systems' against them. That's a really bad way to go.

"Anyway, up until that point things were shaping up to be nearly identical. And then we found out the body count went past thirty. It's also gotten smarter; it's now able to split itself up. That's how it was able to take the four of us out."

"Is Cordelia still fighting that thing?" Carter gasped.

"Yeah, she went all Medusa on it." The cigarette was a third gone. "Honestly she's having a better time fighting it than the rest of us did. She has the advantage against that thing."

"Which is?" Gwen started.

"That thing thrives on energy. Electricity, mana, heat, you name it. The cold slows it down, eventually killing it. Cordelia is the carrier for the Aquaria gene, so she naturally has some ice abilities at her disposal. But that's not much of an advantage now."

"How so?" Kevin asked.

"Because every person it drains of energy adds to its collection of souls," Phineas continued stonily. "Every time you think you kill it, it comes back to life. And you can only kill one soul at a time, so until you kill every single soul it's eaten, it's just going to keep coming back."

"And this story's going to get worse, isn't it?" Sam said resigned.

Phineas nodded, grim. "Slayers have a tendency of having powers, or if not, martial arts skills. Every Slayer it drains of life energy gets the same powers and skills."

"No wonder you've been having trouble," Ben said in shocked awe.

"And it's no wonder we tried to keep you out of it," Phineas snapped. "The only one of you who has a chance of fighting it is Carter and she'll wear herself out before she kills it completely."

"I can turn into Big Chill, that should help," he said quickly.

"Don't bother. That thing's attracted to energy." Phineas nodded at the Omnitrix. "Your wristwatch is basically a feast to it. And you're mana won't help you either," he added to Gwen. "Hell, none of you can face it." He took a long drag of his cigarette and exhaled.

"Where's Cordelia?" Carter asked stoically.

Phineas nodded to the right. "Just follow the sounds of hissing and fighting. You'll find her soon enough."

She nodded and asked, "Can we leave you like this?"

Phineas gave a weak shrug. "If you want to defeat that thing, you have to."

"Try to heal quickly," she said. She then walked away, marching past the corpses and puddles of red. Ben frowned but followed her along with the others; they didn't want to stay in the room longer than they should. Phineas couldn't fault them for that.

Only Gwen stayed behind. "You really shouldn't be smoking you know," she said softly.

Phineas looked up at her and then smiled warmly. "I wasn't always a smoker, you know. Despite how history makes it sound, tobacco was always kind of taboo. King James-I forgot which one-didn't want the American colonies to be used for growing tobacco plants because he thought it was a bad habit. And it was always considered controversial for the guys in the gentlemen's clubs to smoke inside the buildings. It wasn't glorified until the 20th century. I didn't buy into it."

"So what made you start?" Gwen asked curiously.

"Well, I was dating Ben's grandmother, Diane, and one time she said that I'd look cool smoking. So on impulse I bought a pack and smoked on our next date. She said she was right." He smiled fondly. "And the rest is history, I guess."

Gwen gave a small smile. She put her hands behind her back and said, almost shyly, "You think we could still get a coffee after this?"

Phineas looked at her, surprised, before breaking out a bright smile. "I don't see why not."

She grinned before turning to look where her friends had gone. She turned back and said worriedly, "I can't just leave you like this."

"You can," Phineas stated. "I'll be fine in a few hours. Besides, someone's gotta get Raph down from the ceiling."

Gwen frowned at the poor taste in joke.

He rolled his eyes. "The faster you leave, the faster we can get that coffee." He gave a flippant wave of his free hand. She took a step back, hesitating, before the flippant waving grew harder. And then she turned on her heels and ran out of the cavern, leaving her grandfather to finish his cigarette.

* * *

><p>Phineas hadn't been kidding; they could hear the screaming and hissing a mile away.<p>

It didn't take them long to get there. The battle was being waged in another part of headquarters, most likely one of the debriefing rooms. It was hard to tell though; the metal desks had been upturned and used as weapons-quite a few of them had been crushed and or stuck into the wall like darts. Whatever machinery that was in the room was either forced out of its sockets or destroyed due to being used as a weapon or being caught in the crossfire.

But that wasn't what the others were focusing on. They had worse things to see.

The first thing they noticed was Cordelia-or Medusa in this case. Her skin was poisonous green and scaly, her fingers curved and nails black and sharpened into claws. Instead of legs she had the body of a serpent. Instead of her usual black suit and lab coat she only had on a bloody silver chest plate to cover her torso. Her teeth had been turned into snake-like fangs, her tongue forked. Her long silver hair had been turned into hundreds of snakes, all of them twisting and hissing at the foe Cordelia was fighting, though why her eyes were closed was a mystery. The only piece of hair not turned into reptiles was the bang covering the left half of her face, showing that while she was Medusa, she was still a Valentine.

After getting over that initial shock, the young group of heroes turned to the thing that had attempted to kill the Immortals and was trying to do in Cordelia.

…They had no idea what it was.

It looked like a red blob, with some gold highlights mixed in. It didn't have a mouth, or eyes, or nose, or even a face for that matter. It did growl and hiss and scream, but that was about it. The others didn't see what was so devastatingly powerful about it.

And then it hissed, split into three, and turned into humanoids. But the humanoids were _wrong_. They had eyes and noses and mouths and pretty faces, but its mouths looked like it had sewn on by a child, all stretched out and black. Instead of hands it had knives and guns attached at the wrist or in one case a mace. Its legs were bent at odd angles that shouldn't be bent. It was like a mannequin that had broken apart and brought back together by a deranged child.

The mace wielder tried to throw its weapon, but a snake flew out of Cordelia's hair and bit the humanoid on the neck. The humanoid immediately turned to stone. The snake then slithered down to the waist and ensnared the statue, snapping it right in half.

"I want it on record that Cordelia did not create the Medusa mythos," Carter suddenly whispered to the others. "She heard about it and started to transform into her, messing with the legend. The snakes turn you to stone, but if she opens her eyes they turn back to human."

"So it's a complete reversal," Gwen noted quietly. "Cool."

Cordelia suddenly screamed a war cry, ripping off the arm of one of the humanoids. She then whirled around as the last person tried to sneak up on her. She sunk her fangs into its neck and bite off its head. Blood spurted everywhere, soaking her already red chest plate and covered her hissing hair. Cordelia spat out the head, canines glistening and panting heavily.

And then the humanoids and their body parts turned into red-gold blobs and squished back together, forming the giant mesh from before. This time the next transformation was a pretty brunette with red lips. She also had blue eyes in real life, but right now the eyes were merely empty sockets. She opened her mouth, stretching it far beyond what was humanely possible. From inside popped out the head of a heavy artillery gun, and she let loose the bullets.

Snapping back into action Cordelia easily dodged the shots, using her serpent's tail to increase her speed. With that same tail she sliced off the head of the humanoid, going in from behind to do so. The thing quickly split in half from the neck down, one part of the body turning male, the other still female. The split parts quickly turned into fully formed puppets, the male suddenly grabbing Cordelia from behind, the female turning her fingers into claws and tearing out Cordelia's throat.

That was when a heavily armored Kevin rushed in, guns figuratively blazing. With a squawk Ben ran after him, quickly followed by Evan and Carter. Gwen would have rushed in, but Sam held her back.

"What are you-?"

"We both use energy remember?" Sam hissed. "And that thing feeds on energy. We're useless right now."

Gwen turned to the fight, alarmed. "But Ben's over there."

Sam's eyes widened. "Oh fuck."

Kevin had tried to tear the female away from Cordelia, and actually succeeded in doing so. Unfortunately, taking the claws from the older woman's throat had managed to further damage it. Defeated, Cordelia sunk to the floor, the snakes writhing in her hair making pathetic whimpering noises, her serpent's tail slowly transforming back into a pair of legs.

Carter went to help her, shouting out her grandmother's name worriedly, but she was quickly taken out by a flying Evan. He had tried to take on the male humanoid, and had actually gotten in a punch in or two, but he had been quickly tossed aside, thus landing on Carter. Kevin was then thrown aside as well by the female.

That left Ben. Ashen faced, he had tried to drag Cordelia away from the battle, trailing blood on the floor. He stopped, frozen, as the two copies stared at him. The male was sniffing the air, taking a few steps towards him. He gave a confused grunt and looked at the female. She stared at Ben, cocking her head to one side and growling.

Ben was like a deer caught in headlights. He was still holding Cordelia by the arms, her legs fully formed but covered in green scales and black shorts. She was gurgling something, her eyes now open. She attempted to look up at Ben-she was accidentally revealing the pink muscle of her throat- her mouth moving.

Finally, she rasped out, "_Run!_"

Wide-eyed and scared, Ben looked down at Cordelia. He saw the frightened look on her face- which was impossible since Cordelia never showed fear- and gently put her head down on the ground. He then looked up at the humanoids, who were still eyeing him, and slowly moved back to join his friends.

The three who had run out to save the day were all standing again. Carter quickly took a look at Cordelia. Everything in her screamed to go and heal her grandmother, but right now the two monsters in front of her took precedence. Besides, Cordelia was immortal; she would heal herself given enough time. Carter quickly fixed a glare at the humanoids.

"You know, I'm not someone who's normally quick to anger," she said almost pleasantly. "But you just attempted to kill a lot of people close to me. And you damn near succeeded. And that's why I'm going to make your final death be as slow and as painful as possible. And by the end you'll be _screaming for mercy_," she added with so much venom that her friends took an involuntary step back.

The humanoids let that sink in. They looked at each other, then at her, and simultaneously rolled their dead eyes.

And then the female launched herself at Kevin, tearing at his armor. Evan went to pry her off him, while Carter dealt with the male. She was screaming like a madwoman, ice claws on her fingertips and tearing his skin to ribbons. Ben quickly went in to help Evan, quickly disorientating the female with a well-placed kick to the head. Evan then threw her to the side before going after her and breaking her neck.

Kevin groaned and put a hand over her exposed chest, the metal plating torn off like wet tissue paper. Ben quickly helped him up.

"You need to get out of here," Kevin muttered.

"So do the rest of us," Ben shot back.

"Dude, seriously." The older teen spared a glance at the exposed Omnitrix. "You need to go. _Now_."

Suddenly there was a cry. The male had been dealt with-Carter had torn out his heart- and now she was growling as the humanoids turned back into blobs and merged back together.

"How many lives does this thing still have?" Evan asked exasperatedly.

An arm with a bracelet and a jean-covered leg jutted out of the blob, along with a faceless head. It was quickly forming into another person. The arm suddenly plunged back into the goop and drew a gun. It was aiming at the group, the face quickly forming dead brown eyes to see through.

It surveyed the young group before settling on Kevin. He looked down and made a noise from deep within his throat. He had forgotten about the giant hole in his armor. The split second look at his friends' shocked faces told the same story.

He put a hand over his chest, attempting to fix it.

Two shots rang through the air.

* * *

><p><em>I can already feel your hate. I wonder if George R. R. Martin ever feels this way.<em>

_As for the tobacco facts, I got them from a friend who's a total history buff. I'm not totally sure if they're accurate- I wrote down the book titles, but I lost the list- but it would be pretty awesome if it was._

_So, thoughts anyone?_


	65. Carter Valentine's Finest Hour

Chapter 65: Carter Valentine's Finest Hour

_I was checking the legacy stats for this story, and holy shit: over 200 reviews and over 40,000 views. Like, I can't even wrap my mind around that. And I've got almost a hundred favorites and follows each, just for this story. I can't thank you guys enough for all the support, not just for college but also for my writing. I've always considered this to be a hobby, but you guys are the reason I write, and I hope you guys can still support me even if I take a long time in between updates and take time off to write original content. I wouldn't be here without you._

_So, without further ado, I give you chapter 65._

* * *

><p>Ben didn't understand what was going on.<p>

He could see Carter right in front of him, holding his arms and talking to him. She wasn't screaming or panicking-then again, he couldn't really tell. There was something wrong with his hearing; all the noises surrounding him had been dulled, with only the faintest of sounds penetrating his ears.

He should probably get that checked. And after that he could really go for a smoothie. A smoothie sounded absolutely fantastic at the moment.

He heard his name. He focused back on Carter. There was something urgent in her manner, from her furrowed brow to her curt words to the firm grip she had on him. For the life of him, though, he couldn't figure out what was so important. Did it have something to do with the blob…?

Ben lethargically moved his head away from his girlfriend. Every movement he took, even the slightest, felt like a challenge. His very body seemed to be made out of lead, the feeling worsening when he tried to lift a hand. It was like he was walking through molasses. He eventually put his hand down.

He took a slow look around the cavern. Cordelia was still out for the count, lying on the ground in a pool of her own blood. Poor thing; she really needed medical attention.

Speaking of medical attention, whatever happened to Kevin? The last thing Ben remembered was Kevin fixing the giant gaping hole in his armor. Ben slowly turned his head and found his friend in reconstructed armor, pummeling a woman with a knife for a tongue. Ben blinked. That was weird.

What was especially strange was the look on Kevin's face. His teeth were bared, and his eyes held a hatred so intense it was painful for Ben to look into them. He averted his gaze towards Sam, who had popped out of seemingly nowhere. She and Evan were savagely pulling apart conjoined twins-one head was stuck on another's body, right at the shoulder. The head was ripped off, blood flowing everywhere.

Ben blinked. Where was his cousin? He slowly swiveled his head towards the side, searching for her. She was standing a few feet away from him, holding a green jacket. It took him a moment to realize that it was his, but he didn't remember taking it off and giving it to her. Gwen also had tears in her eyes; what was up with that?

Cool hands were suddenly on his cheek, gently moving his head so that his eyes rested on Carter. Her hands were shaking slightly, which further confused him. The blob…monster…thing was still a major threat, but Kevin and the others seemed to be taking care of it at the moment. And shouldn't Carter be trying to destroy it? Phineas said she was the only one who could kill it for good.

Something was horribly, horribly wrong. But Ben couldn't for the life of him figure it out.

There was a dull noise ringing in his ears, like a pistol firing. There was something significant about it, he could tell. The din of the cavern was growing exponentially larger, rushing at him fast, fast, too fast; it was hurting his ears-

The noise was at full volume. He could hear Kevin snarling as he mercilessly broke the bones of the thing's puppets. Sam was biting into the neck of another cast off, using her teeth to rip off its head as it fired electricity at her. Evan was straddling an adult male, hitting the face until it caved in, and refusing to stop until the puppet's brains were splattered across the floor.

Ben blinked. He knew the blob was bad news, but it wasn't like Cordelia and the others were going to die. Phineas even said they couldn't. And while it was heartbreaking that they had to kill all those souls inside the monster, it had to be done. They had understood that earlier, actually calculating the proper way to kill the thing as Ben tried to move Cordelia out of harm's way. So what had changed?

He could feel a dull throbbing in his chest. Wincing, he moved his hand towards the center, right where the sternum was. There was something warm and slick on his shirt. He grimaced; it felt disgusting.

_**Wait, Ben, don't! **_

Okay, so Ben could hear Ventus. That was good. He wasn't sure why it was, but a suspicious feeling told him so.

He lifted his hand-it was so incredibly heavy-and took a look at it. His fingers were covered in liquid. He rubbed them together, and a metallic smell filled his nose, nearly making him gag.

_**Ben, calm down.**_

What was Ventus talking about? He was perfectly calm. Sure his head was ringing and his chest was throbbing, but there was nothing wrong with him. His throat was also dry- when could he get a smoothie?

_**This is not the time or the place. You need to calm down.**_

Why was Ventus repeating that? Ben tried to roll his eyes, but for some reason they were hurting. He took another look at his hands and the metallic smell hit his nostrils again.

_-Kevin was trying to fix the hole in his armor but it was too late, the first shot had already been fired-_

Ben's eyes widened.

_**Ben?!**_

_-He wanted to go to his Omnitrix, but there was no time. He was right next to Kevin anyway-_

He opened his mouth.

_**Ben, I'll take over from here on out, you just need to calm down! You're going into shock!**_

_-He stepped past Sam and stood right in front of Kevin. He could feel both bullets penetrate his chest-_

A bloodcurdling scream tore out of Ben's throat.

* * *

><p>Ben wasn't responding.<p>

_**That's bad, that's very bad, **_Aquaria whispered in the back of her mind. Carter knew that too. Everything about this situation was bad, very bad. She tried to get Ben to talk to her, but he was just standing there, staring blankly at her.

Slowly his head swiveled around, taking in the battle happening right behind her. Gwen wasn't a part of it; despite the waves of fury rolling off her she had to be there for her cousin, now more than ever. That was why she hadn't questioned Carter when the Goth told her to remove Ben's jacket. She figured it would help him. He hadn't responded to that either, which was just another warning sign.

And then he slowly, ever so slowly, put a hand to his chest. Carter wanted to rip it away, but she couldn't. His skin had taken on a sickly pale color, his green eyes far too bright in the dim lighting. His hands were shaking slightly-did he even realize that, or was he too far gone? - and slowly touched the blood that was dribbling down his shirt.

Gwen winced, a small cry escaping her lips. Carter could even see her eyes dampening. She couldn't blame her; hell, she wanted to let out the sob that threatened to spill out of her throat. She wanted to scream, rip out her hair, curl up into a ball, anything.

_**If you do that, you'll bring shame down on the Valentine name, **_Aquaria said grimly. Carter imagined her sea green eyes narrowing in contempt.

_You think I don't know that? _she easily countered. _Besides, even if I didn't care about the family name, no else has the medical knowledge to take those bullets out of Ben._

_**The only medical knowledge you do know is from reading medical journals, **_the goddess protested.

_Medical journals that have been written by Cordelia and Isaac, _Carter pointed out. _Since the only person in the room who can easily remove those bullets is unconscious, I'm the next best option._

Ben suddenly jerked, forcing Carter to focus back on him. He was staring wide eyed at his fingers, which were covered in his own blood. She checked his heartbeat for the umpteenth time; it was rapid yet so very weak. His breathing was becoming more and more shallow, his skin slowly becoming clammy. And the amount of blood that was leaking out of his chest was starting to increase.

"He's going into shock," Carter told Gwen. "Help me get him to the ground." The girl complied, gently taking his arm.

Ben suddenly opened his mouth and a blood curling scream erupted out of it. Carter clamped a hand over his mouth. He tried to jerk his head away, but he was too weak. His breathing was becoming more rapid and shallow, the scream still trying to get out.

And then his eyes flashed sky blue and he collapsed.

"Help me move him to the side," Carter ordered grabbing his shoulders. Gwen took his feet and the two of them dragged Ben off to the side, as far away from the fighting as possible. Once he was situated, Carter willed an icicle to appear out of her finger and began to saw at Ben's shirt.

"What are you…?" Gwen trailed off as she saw her snip apart the cloth, exposing the wound. There were two black holes in his chest, surrounded by a sea of blood. The smell hit Gwen's nostrils, making her gag.

"Go and help the others," Carter immediately told her, bringing her hands up towards her face. The thumbs and pointer fingers on each hand suddenly had a claw attached to them.

"I can't." Gwen shook her head helplessly. "You heard Phineas; that thing feeds on energy."

"You can still fight without using your powers," Carter pointed out. The redhead turned to Sam, who was tearing off arms and legs like the meat puppets were ragdolls. Gwen was completely indifferent to that.

"Besides," Carter continued, forcing Gwen to look her way, "I have to surgically remove the bullets. That's not something everyone can watch." She peered out of the corner of her eye as her friend's face slowly paled, her hands dropping the jacket onto the floor. Gwen gave a quick nod of her head before running towards a puppet and punching it in the face.

Focusing intently on Ben, she willed some water to form in the palm of her hand and forced it into the wounds. Antiseptic or alcohol would have worked best-hell even bleach would have worked to kill all the germs. Unfortunately Carter didn't have any of that on hand. Her powers were only good with closing wounds; the body tended to kill off any remaining alien bacteria. Still, water was better than nothing.

Once that was done, Carter cracked the knuckles in her fingers in an attempt to stop them from shaking. Sweat was beading down her neck and she was feeling lightheaded. She had never attempted surgery on anyone before, and she never even imagined that such a day would come. It was always possible to die on the surgical table while being worked on by experienced surgeons. The mortality rate shot up exponentially when you factored in bad lighting, dirty operating conditions, and an inexperienced surgeon whose only knowledge on the human anatomy came from old medical journals and public school health classes.

_**Now is not the time to dwell on the negative, **_a sharp, blunt voice cut into her thoughts. Despite her reputation, Aquaria was rarely motherly. _**Get your ass in gear and save him.**_

Carter took a deep breath and began the first incision cut.

All sound drowned out so that she could only hear her own heavy breathing. The sweat that had started to trail down her face evaporated. Her heart beat slowed to a steady rhythm. The metallic scent of blood hit her nostrils; she didn't even flinch. Serenity washed over her as she worked to carve a small X shape through one of the holes in Ben's chest.

Looking back on it later, Carter would never be able to recall exactly how she did it. Time slowed and her vision was crystal clear, but her memory failed somewhat beyond that point. All she could recall with certainty was that it had taken very little time to extract the first bullet lodged in Ben's chest cavity and, after dropping the bloody bullet somewhere around his head, went to work on the second.

The others weren't faring better with the demonic monster. Gwen was the only one not panting from exhaustion. She twisted around and kicked the head off of another female castoff, this one with ice claws that seemed straight out of a nightmare. The female instantly reverted back into blob form and joined the main one.

Sam gritted her teeth. "Just how many souls does thing have?"

"Over thirty," Kevin said grimacing. "And we've been hammering it for how long?"

Evan shrugged. "At least half an hour."

"Well, we have to keep hammering it until its dead," Gwen snarled. She then back flipped out of the way of impending bullets.

"Easy for you to say!" Sam yelled out as a bullet whizzed past her head. Kevin took that moment to slice off the hand holding the gun, the half-made puppet turning back into a blob. The shot ricocheted off the cavern walls, nearly clipping Carter's right shoulder. She paid it no heed as she dropped the second and final bullet near Ben's head.

Taking a deep breath, she pressed the palms of her hands on the wounds. She grimaced as she felt both congealed and fresh blood seep through the cracks in her fingers. In a shaky and hurried voice, she sang softly: _"This is the story I've wanted to tell/ I was left for a handsomer guy…"_

Gold tendrils erupted out of her, spreading a warm sunny glow through the cavern. Suddenly the golden light turned into a happy Kelly green, and then mellowed into a calm sea green. Bursts of blue flashed, zigzagging through the green in a haphazard harmony.

"_All I could do was wish them both well/ and gaze at my friend in the sky."_

Her voice was too soft, too hurried. Her throat was constricting; she had trouble breathing. Ben was healing, but it was slower, much slower than how it was supposed to be. His heartbeat was barely at the proper equilibrium, why…?

"_April Moon/ you know me/ I have wept here before…"_

The lights were chaotic, bursting like fireworks around them. Around and around they circled, faster and faster until it was a blur of green and blue. Too fast, too fast, Carter's heart was bursting out of her ribcage, Ben wasn't breathing, why?!

It almost wasn't heard, over the chaotic light swirling around them, over Carter's own heartbeat: a ragged gasp, a slight cough, and finally a fluttering of eyelashes. She stopped singing, stupefied. The lights dimmed, slowing down immediately. She could feel his steady heartbeat thrum through her fingers.

She began again, quietly, her voice breathy but sure. _"Can you believe I went back to her for more/ I just hate that side of me…"_

The blood was sliding back into the wounds. She could feel the muscles stitching themselves back together, the skin knitting back into place. He was breathing slowly but surely, his face the color of milk but no longer gray and corpselike. His brow furrowed and his lips quirked as if he was desperate to wake up, but then calmness washed over him and his face smoothed back into place. It was almost like he was sleeping.

A hysterical, triumphant laugh bubbled in Carter's throat, but she held it in. The song had to finish. Smiling and stroking his hair away from his eyes as if he were a child, she drawled out, _"April Moon."_

The lights retreated back into her, disappearing as quickly as they had came. She stood up and spared a final, happy glance at Ben. He was sleeping peacefully, and would hopefully stay that way for a good long while.

And then she turned around, and her smile was replaced by a venomous scowl. Her teeth were sharpened into fangs, and she curled her lips so that they appeared wolf-like. Her pupils had thinned, turning jagged and snakelike. A snarl erupted from deep in her throat; booming out of her chest cavity and making her angry stalk even more frightening.

Carter didn't notice how the others balked and quickly backed away from her, clearing the battlefield so that it was just her and the demon. A puppy's snout appeared out of the mess, sniffing the air. The entire monster growled, sounding like a demon straight out of hell. And then it quickly morphed into a humanoid.

Only this time the blob didn't take a form of a stolen soul. It took the form of an athletic person, but there was no skin or muscle, just red-gold clay forced into a mold. It had arms and legs and a head and a broad chest, but there were no eyes or nose or mouth to identify it. No it had something much, much worse than that.

Around its stomach and creeping up the torso were faces. They looked like flesh-colored masks, except the mouths were moving, screaming in silent terror, eyes wide and horrified. There was the petrified whimper of a scared puppy echoing through the silence, but other than that there was no sound.

Carter tore her gaze away from the faces and looked straight at the thing's featureless head. "You know, I'm pretty merciful most of the time," she said conversationally. "I meet a lot of horrible people who really don't deserve the air they breathe, but I try to give them the benefit of the doubt, or if not, then a quick and clean death. I figure they deserve at least that much.

"But you…" she trailed off, calmly surveying the abomination before her, "I don't think you deserve that. You nearly killed someone especially close to me, and I think he'd agree with me that you have to be put down. Knowing him, he'd make it quick, but I'm not that nice."

Suddenly she smiled her Cheshire cat grin, and her eyes narrowed coldly. There was a rushing sound echoing throughout the cavern, like an angry tide crashing into a rock jetty. Her friends made startled cries, but she fixed her gaze at the humanoid.

"I told you before didn't I? I'm going to make your final death so slow and painful that by the end you'll be screaming for mercy. And I'm going to enjoy _every second of it_."

The cavern walls broke apart, and river water rushed in. It split apart into two monstrously large streams, coiling around Carter protectively. The streams were becoming lifelike, blue scales flashing and sharp fangs glistening in curled black mouths. They were water dragons, wingless and beautiful, with a blue glow in their eyes. They roared ferociously, the sound echoing throughout the broken cavern.

Someone was screaming: **"CARTER! STOP!" **It almost sounded like Evan, or Sam-or perhaps they were talking at the same time? Carter couldn't hear, because the mouths on the abomination were screaming out loud, their terror a symphony that refused to be silenced.

Carter smirked, frost collecting on her brow like a circlet. A laugh escaped through her lips, a childish noise that sounded unnaturally cruel. The humanoid was devoid of all emotion, but the faces strapped to his torso were still screaming, singing a different tune.

Carter waved a hand at it. The dragons shifted, their growls drowning out the screams. In a voice clear as day, she said one word: _**"Devour."**_

At once the dragons were upon it, coiling around the monster like snakes. The screams picked up again, but they were choppy and strangled as the dragons sank their teeth into their flesh. Blood spurted everywhere, contrasting against the cool blue scales of the dragons. Gun shots rang out, but the bullets either sank into the watery mess or were bounced off an icy piece of skin.

Again and again the dragons ate at the humanoid, and again and again the faces on it screamed in terror, but it soon stopped sounding like a symphony. One by one the souls were killed, and one by one the screaming ended, until finally, finally there was only one voice.

The dragons suddenly splintered apart, the pieces of ice and water washing over each other like waves crashing against a jetty. They swirled around the monster, trapping it in a tiny cocoon where the outside was pure ice while the inside was a watery prison. The rest of the dragons' bodies became snow, spreading out on the cavern floor in choppy waves. The immense liters of blood from the humanoid were spread out like rings in a tree stump.

Carter stepped onto the snow, her boots crunching. She walked up to the cocoon, staring at the millions of faces reflecting in the ice. They all showed a single person: a bulky frame, a sharp, taut face, close cropped black hair and dark blue eyes. On his white shirt was an electronic door pass. Carter could vaguely make out the name Stanley.

The thing that had once been Stanley was screaming on the inside of the cocoon, not caring that his lungs were filling with water. Carter turned around, a cruel little smile playing at her lips. She walked away, her footsteps creating prints in the bloody snow.

The cocoon cracked the sound resonating throughout the silent cavern. And then it exploded, the water shooting outwards in an attempt to free itself. The person inside was ripped apart; pieces of flesh and muscle and bone fell on the ground, ice water dripping on them.

Carter walked out of the snow, trampling blood and slush on the ground. She blinked, the diamond circlet at her forehead disappearing. She breathed in deeply.

Blood erupted out of her back, her shoulders, her mouth. Her arms shot outwards, the joints moving on their own. Her legs buckled underneath her, and she fell backwards in a puddle of her own blood.

Carter's eyes were foggy, her breathing ragged. Her lungs were filling up with fluid. She looked around wildly, searching for what she didn't know. She wanted to cry, but the only liquid that fell out was blood.

And then a voice filled her ears. It was so familiar; she remembered a silvery peal of laughter from long ago, so long ago. She remembered a happy person with a face from the nineteen twenties, with her oxblood-painted lips shaped into a Cupid's bow, her smoky eyes glinting with mischief, soft black hair that had been cut into a bob, the sides curling over her small olive-skinned face.

The woman was kneeling over her now, painted lips curled into a tiny smile, her brown eyes warm. Carter tried to say her name, but she was gasping for air. She was too weak and disoriented to do anything but stare.

_Pearl…_

"Time for beddy-bye, kitty cat," the woman said, closing her eyes and smiling. Carter could feel her eyelids falling. "Good night and I'll see you in the sunshine."

She fell asleep wishing for sunlight.

* * *

><p><em>Ben 10: The Slayer Chronicles is officially ON HIATUS. <em>


	66. Ben Tennyson VS the World

Chapter 66: Ben Tennyson VS. the World

_De la Fuente: Spanish last name meaning "of the fountain."_

…_Hi, I'm back- OH MY GOD PUT AWAY THOSE PITCHFORKS!_

_But in all seriousness, I really am sorry I've been away for so long. I had no intention of disappearing; it just happened that way. Not only was college and my part-time job incredibly time-consuming and stressful, but my physical and mental health deteriorated to the point where I had no strength to write. And I'm pretty anxious in general, and it just becomes a truly horrible mess to come out of. Not to mention I had a summer job that had crazy hours that left me with intense exhaustion. I wouldn't have taken it if I didn't need the money, though. College is expensive. __Another reason is the fact that I had writer's block; I am writing through season 3, after all._

_I want to say that I'm back to updating, but that would partially be a lie. While I do intend to update more frequently, life has a tendency of destroying that promise. And in the toss up between real life and fanfiction, I have to choose real life no matter how much I don't want. That's just the way it goes, guys. _

_Before we can get right to the chapter, I have two announcements, one in which I'll say here:_

_I know that Omniverse is a broken base among the fans, and I completely understand why. But ever since the third season came out there has been a story in my head and it refuses to die down. __**I am going to write an Omniverse story that is completely separate from this story.**__ That means new OCs, new aliens, new weapons, new everything. Now, I'm not going to be working on it any time soon; **I'm going to be continuing my other projects, since they come first.** Still, I wanted to let you know that I'm not leaving the fandom after this story is over. _

_**I do not, under any circumstances, expect you to read my next story**__. This is about me trying to write a decent story within Omniverse and to attempt at writing a completely different OC from what I'm used to. Knowing my writing style, it will be much, much darker and grittier than the series itself. It will push the T rating to the nth degree. __**I will write it, and no one can stop me**__. I only ask that if you do decide to read my story and can't stand Omniverse, don't force yourself to watch the episodes. I know some of you hate it, and I can respect that. So please respect me and let me write this story. That's all I ask._

_As for my final announcement, well, I'll save that for the end._

_Now, on with the chapter!_

* * *

><p>Whatever Gwen was laying on was soft and warm and smelled like sunshine. Her brain was exhausted, and all she wanted to do was sleep. Unfortunately her body seemed to be too wired to allow such a simple luxury.<p>

She reluctantly stirred from the covers of the overstuffed bed and sat up. She looked groggily at her surroundings: a hexagonal room with tan painted bricks, a blue floor with fluffy white clouds painted on it, a black ceiling with tiny lights dotting it so it appeared as if the constellations had been trapped inside the room. There were thirteen beds inside, splayed out in a circle, with bedside dressers and reading lamps.

Movement in the corner of her eye, Gwen turned her head and thought up the cranky tirade she would say to the person who disturbed her wondrous nap. It was a woman she didn't recognize. She was fairly tall, wearing stylish jeans and a black turtleneck sweater that wrapped around her upper body like a second skin. She had sharp, angular features which somehow fit the twenties bob cut her black hair was in. She had olive skin and when she smiled through burgundy lips her bright sharp teeth shown.

"Morning pie face," the woman trilled, holding up a clipboard and pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She had a simple gold pair of earrings on, two circles that stayed in the earlobes. "How are you feeling at the wonderful hour of…" she looked at the clock besides Gwen's bed, "two in the morning?"

Gwen stared at the lady with as much hate as she could muster. "'M fine," she slurred, her voice thick from sleep.

"I doubt that," the lady said, sounding serious. "You just had a nasty shock. You and all your friends are in for some intensive therapy for the next few weeks. Isaac's orders," she added quickly.

Gwen continued to stare, but her eyes were out of focus. What was this woman talking about? What nasty scare? She had to help Ben with Vilgax-

-Gun shots in the air, Ben standing there drenched in his own blood, his strangled scream-

She started, a scream tearing out of her throat. Her limbs splayed out as she tried to get out of bed, but the lady suddenly had her arms wrapped around her in a vice-like grip. Gwen cried out again when she felt a sharp pin prick in her arm, and then her body slackened. The lady quickly tucked her into bed, removing the band that held her hair up so that it splayed out in a halo of red.

"Don't worry Red, this stuff won't knock you out right away," the lady told her, holding up an empty syringe. "You'll feel mellow for a minute or two. I'd hate for you to nod off while we're talking."

"What are you…?" Gwen slurred, her voice trailing off involuntarily.

"Azmuth's here."

Her eyes widened.

"Oh, don't worry doll, he's just here to check up on Ben. Despite how he acts I think he was actually pretty worried." The lady leaned over as if what she was saying was confidential. "I think he's worried about all of you. You all just had a bad shock, after all."

Gwen turned her head to the side. For the first time she noticed that she wasn't alone. A few of the beds were occupied; Sam was sleeping in one to the left of her, rolled on her side with an arm tucked under her pillow, breathing deeply. Gwen turned her head to other side and saw Evan, his hair loose around his pillow, his mouth partially open and snoring lightly. She thought she could hear Kevin in the room as well.

"Where's…"

"Ben and Carter are in the healing pods," the lady said grimly. "Ben's doing great-he should be out very soon- but kitty cat's not doing so well. She used up a lot of energy summoning those dragons. Add in the shock of almost seeing Ben die and having to surgically remove the bullets despite the fact that she has little experience with surgical procedures, and her brain's turned to soup. It'll take some time for her to recover."

"But Vilgax…"

The lady smiled softly. "He really shouldn't be up and fighting so soon after a session in the healing pods, but Ben will be strong enough to face him. And just in case, I imagine Cordelia has a toy for him to try beforehand." She giggled quietly.

Gwen arched an eyebrow. "A toy?"

She waved her hand flippantly. "Given the circumstances it's just going to be an energy tonic or something. And it's nothing a Slayer can't handle. But right now you need to go back to sleep." She put a hand over Gwen's forehead. Already the redhead could feel her eyelids drooping.

"Who are you?" she managed to say as the world went dark. The last thing she saw was the lady smile, revealing an unusually sharp canine tooth. And the last thing she heard was:

"I'm Pearl de la Fuente. I'm a vampire."

* * *

><p>Azmuth was known as a lot of things: a tough boss, the creator of the Omnitrix, the smartest being in three-arguably five- galaxies. He was far too busy to deal with the idiot wielding his greatest creation, especially after he tried to hack it. Hack the Omnitrix, of all things!<p>

And yet, Azmuth couldn't help but feel a brutal pang of sympathy in his heart. Ben was an idiot, there was no doubt about that. And he was human, meaning his life would end in mere decades, unlike the Galvan. And yet despite all that, despite how illogical it was, Azmuth had always thought Ben as untouchable. He had survived attacks from Vilgax at ten years old-practically infantile- saved the Earth countless times, and had now saved an entire universe. He had had help every time, not even the braggart could deny that, but there was no denying the fact that Ben always came out on top. With bruises and cuts and maybe even a broken bone or two, but he was always triumphant in the end.

Except now.

Another pang of sympathy shot through him, this one sharper than the last. He stared at the boy in front of him, his shirt and jacket gone, most likely destroyed. His torso was wrapped in white, his skin a sickly pale color never seen on him before. He was breathing deeply, the drugs administered to him before the healing process keeping him in the realm of unconsciousness.

Azmuth didn't know what to call Ben at the moment, which was odd because he had an extensive vocabulary and could use it on anyone if he so desired. He normally called him a child, because he had found him wearing the Omnitrix as a child and by human and Galvan standards he was one. Add in his behavior back then and, well, that was that.

Now, though, Azmuth felt he couldn't call him that. That same stubborn boy that barged into Zenon all those years ago had recently stopped an intergalactic genocide, using nothing but his wits and a ragtag team of Plumbers' children. And while Ben himself still acted arrogant and rather dense, there was no denying that what he accomplished was nothing short of a miracle. If there was a time to call him a man, that was then.

Except now, while he was resting on the bed, his upper body wrapped in bandages, he had never looked so utterly vulnerable. He hadn't even looked like that back as a child. He wasn't the hero of the universe or the wielder of the Omnitrix. He was a teenaged boy, a son, a cousin, a best friend, who had nearly died in such unfortunate circumstances.

It took Azmuth an embarrassingly long time to realize that.

The door slid open, and Cordelia walked in-or perhaps slithered in was the proper term. She always had that serpentine grace to her that unnerved Azmuth to no end. She was dressed in her usual doctor attire, but she looked tired, and the bandages around her neck weren't helping matters.

She quickly checked Ben's breathing and pulse, took a look at the chart, and gave a sigh. "Well, he should be fine. We just have to take off the bandages and give him a tonic to get him through the morning."

"You are referring to the conqueror's challenge, correct?" Azmuth stated as a question.

"Unfortunately," she griped, gritting her teeth. "And we're losing time for a counterattack in case Ben fails."

"Considering his current state, that's a serious possibility," the genius mused, turning around on the stool he was on to face the Immortal. Despite how unnerving he found her, it wouldn't do to not face Cordelia and look her in the eye while talking. If there was one thing Azmuth learned over the years, Cordelia "Bloody" Valentine did not and would not show any ounce of respect to anyone who refused to meet her steely gaze.

"It's surprising to see you here," the lady in question suddenly piped up. Azmuth raised an eyebrow. "Considering how busy the greatest mind in five galaxies is, it wouldn't be odd for you to stay away while Ben was recuperating."

"Ben is the wielder of the Omnitrix, and for a short period of time he was fatally injured," Azmuth said gravely. "He is the only being in this universe that I trust to use my creation for good. If he were to fall, then the Omnitrix must be retrieved before some other unsavory character steals it."

"...Or you could just admit that you were worried about Ben," Cordelia said slowly, eyes narrowing. "Would it honestly kill you to show a little affection?"

"I could ask the same of you."

She scoffed. "I give affection when it's needed."

"I may not be a parent, but I doubt only giving pats on the head to your grandchildren very occasionally truly counts as affection."

"If I give them too many hugs and kisses, they'll grow weak. The universe is cruel and unforgiving, Azmuth. They have to grow up tough to face whatever's thrown at them."

"...I suppose you have a point," Azmuth conceded, turning back to face Ben. A moment passed, and then he said, "Are you certain that he will be well enough to fight?"

Cordelia raised an eyebrow. "He should be, after I give him a healing tonic. It's not a perfect solution, given his condition, but it'll get him through most of the day before he crashes from exhaustion."

"Will he be waking up soon?"

She was about to answer, when Ben began to stir. His fingers twitched somewhat and his brow furrowed. A low groan escaped his lips.

"That answer your question?" Cordelia quickly scooped up the Galvan and deposited him onto the desk, much to his indignation. "Trust me, you don't want to be near him when he's fully awake."

They both stared as the boy slowly, very slowly, awakened. He was shaking slightly, perspiration beading down his temples. He was murmuring something, his hands clutching the bed sheets with an iron grip. His eyelids fluttered rapidly before finally snapping open.

Wide, terrified green eyes stared at the white ceiling, before he let out a desperate gasp for breath. He jerked violently, and Cordelia swooped in, pinning him down. He struggled against her iron grip, kicking his bare feet at whatever nightmare monster was after him.

"Settle down!" she said sharply, and Ben turned to her, blinking stupidly. When he was finally calm, Cordelia gently pushed him back onto the bed. She brushed some hair out of his face with a kindness that was almost motherly. He stared up at her, confused.

"Carter?" he said, his eyes glassy and unfocused. "What's going on?"

"It's Cordelia, Ben," the doctor told him. "You've had a bad shock. Don't try to remember it now," she added hastily as he opened his mouth. "Trust me, you're in no condition to recall it."

"But what about-?"

"Carter's fine," she said smoothly, meeting his inquisitive gaze. Cordelia had always been an incredible liar. Had she not been so incredibly old, Azmuth would have pegged it as a sociopathic trait.

...Then again, he had seen the healing facilities she had stored underneath her house. She may not have been lying after all.

Whatever it was, it was obviously the right thing for Ben to hear. His body relaxed, melding into the mold of the bed, and the sheer amount of relief on his face was unmistakable. Azmuth raised an eyebrow. He had never met Carter before-heard about her through Cordelia and Isaac and had seen a few pictures of her over the years-but he had no idea about what kind of person she was like. From the way Ben was acting though, he obviously cared for her.

There was a smirk tugging at his face that he tried desperately to beat down. He couldn't help it though, not with the unmistakable signs of young love. It was only a matter of time before Ben was hit, and he had been hit hard. Though given Carter's family, perhaps it was a bit misguided…

"What about Gwen, and Kevin, and-!" Ben started coughing, a horrible sound that seemed to rattle in his chest before escaping his mouth. He had brought a hand to cover his mouth once it started, and when it stopped he dropped it. Azmuth gave an involuntary wince; bright red blood was sitting on his bottom lip, and there was a red stain on the palm of his hand.

"Fucking hell," Cordelia growled, reaching into her lab coat pockets. After searching through them she got out a small vial full of bright blue liquid. She popped the top off and said, "Drink this." He did so, nearly choking on the flavor. Azmuth wrinkled his nose; he could smell the foul, pungent odor of the concoction from a few feet away.

The medicine seemed to help, because Ben quickly settled back down onto the bed, little bits of color returning to his face. He turned to the side, and his eyes widened. "Azmuth?"

"Hello, Ben Tennyson," the Galvan said, his usual stern demeanor cropping back up. There was a bit of softness in it though, something that was not lost on anyone in the room.

Ben averted his gaze, one of his hands instinctively reaching for the other. "Sorry 'bout before."

Azmuth's eyes flickered to the Omnitrix, the same one that had been nearly hacked only a few hours ago. It seemed ages since he had warned the boy. Still, those few words revealed the guilt and shame Ben had been feeling ever since. Azmuth took another peek at the bandages.

He sighed inwardly. He was far too old for this.

"I accept your apology," said the Galvan. He was really much too soft on the boy, but considering the current situation, it may not have been such a bad idea. "I also understand why you did it. Still, I would have thought the same wielder of the Omnitrix who cured the High Breed and stopped an intergalactic genocide would have more confidence in himself."

"I had help," Ben bleated out. Ah, so the braggart admitted it himself. Azmuth was pleased that he was right about that.

He mused a bit before saying, "If you come up with a plan for the conqueror's challenge, I believe you could still have your friends help."

Cordelia, who had been apathetically watching the exchange, cut in. "It won't matter if he can barely stand."

"That is true," Azmuth conceded. "I believe you said you had something to help with that?"

"I do, but I won't give it to him now," Cordelia told them. "The elixir only works for twelve hours, and that's if he doesn't change forms. I have to make sure he takes it at just the right time, or he'll crash while fighting Vilgax."

Cordelia turned to Ben and took in his helpless appearance. "Ben, I need you to listen very carefully. I am going to give you a restorative that will not only stop the bleeding and numb the pain, but will give you enough energy so you'll feel almost normal. But, there is a price; once the medicine has worked its way through your system, you will begin to bleed heavily, and it will feel like you've been shot again. It is imperative that you return here before that happens. Do you understand?"

Ben licked his dry, chapped lips and whispered, "Yes."

"I won't give it to you now; we have to time this right," Cordelia added. "In the meantime Pearl will keep an eye on you." She turned to the door.

Right on cue, a pretty lady with bobbed black hair and a face from the silent film era waltzed into the room. She smiled through burgundy lips, showing off sharp canine teeth. "Hello, Benji. How are you this dreadful morning?"

"Bad."

"I figured," Pearl said, nodding. She turned to Cordelia. "I can take it from here."

Cordelia turned to Azmuth. "I'm guessing you're not sticking around."

"Galvan Prime needs me," Azmuth stated. Everyone understood the undercurrent. He turned to Ben. "I wish you good luck, Ben Tennyson. You will not let us down." And with that, he teleported.

Pearl gave a low whistle. "That's high praise, coming from him."

"I know," Ben said, smiling weakly.

The young woman clapped her hands together. "Right, so how's about we get you dressed?"

Ben looked at her confused, before slowly propping himself up by his elbows. Wincing in pain, he saw that all this time he had been only in his white boxers.

Cordelia left the room on Ben's humiliated groan.

* * *

><p>Carter groaned. Her arms stretched out and contorted unnaturally as she fought for consciousness. Her eyelids were heavy, too heavy, and something bright was searing through, making her eyes water. She blinked, her sight hazy and unfocused.<p>

She could smell something in the air, something reminiscent of herbal water and cough drops. It was soothing and familiar, yet pungent enough to sharpen Carter's gaze. She looked at the curtains around her bed and focused on the bright sliver of light cutting through the heavy cloth. With a heavy hand she withdrew them, shutting her eyes against the blazing light.

Carter sat up painfully and rubbed at her eyes. She detected even more of the herbal cough drop smell; a few more sniffs and she realized that it was coming from her. She must have spent an enormous amount of time in the healing pods. That should have fixed her up, so why did she feel something heavy on her chest?

Carter slowly unbuttoned her shirt-she was back to wearing her threadbare gravestone pajamas- and revealed the white bandages encircling her torso. Quite of bit of the tape was around her shoulders and arms. The smell of herbs was stronger now.

As quickly as she could, which wasn't very quick at all, she buttoned her shirt up again. She attempted to move out of her bed, but her legs weren't working. She huffed, frustrated, and tried again.

Nothing. Carter's legs wouldn't move.

_Her legs wouldn't move._

Panic clouding her mind, she tore off the blankets, sending ripples of pain up her arms. She stared her legs, covered in black cotton, and tried to move them again. Nothing.

Her throat was beginning to close off, pinpricks behind her eyes, she opened her mouth to scream but there was nothing, not even a whisper-

_**Carter, its okay**__. _The matronly voice, the sound that made Carter annoyed and frustrated and ultimately happy resonated through her mind. _**Nothing is wrong with your legs. You've just had an accident. Try to move your toes first.**_

Swallowing dryly, Carter calmed down long enough to follow the instructions. Her toes were moving, slowly, but they were _moving_. She wanted to cry out in relief.

Aquaria's voice rang out once again. _**Now try shifting your legs, slowly now. You've got it.**_

Pinpricks of pain erupted from her legs, like they had fallen asleep for too long and didn't want to wake up. This time tears did fall down Carter's cheeks, but shift her legs she did. It was all she could do at this point.

Settling herself down on the pillows, Carter wiped the tears off her face. _What happened to me?_

_**I told you, you had an accident. You're in no state to hear it, so don't ask. **_Carter mentally cursed. _**I heard that!**_

She had to stifle a snort. _What can you tell me?_

_**According to Cordelia and Isaac, you were recently gravely injured. You almost didn't make it; there was so much fluid in your lungs…**_

What sweet, sweet irony that would have been. Carter Valentine, vessel of the water goddess, manipulator of all forms liquid, almost drowned. It would have been a poetic way to die, something Shakespeare would have appreciated.

_**Let's stop that, **_Aquaria said sharply. _**Things are bad enough as it is. We don't need you going over your possible demise.**_

_Doesn't matter, considering Vilgax will probably kill us all in less than twenty-four hours._

_**Cordelia has a plan, which I will tell you about later. You should be resting. All you need to know is that Ben and the others are fine. They are fine, **_she added a bit more insistently, which was smart of her, since Carter didn't believe it.

Unwilling to fall back asleep, Carter peeked over at her bedside table and saw the battered notebook on top. Her eyes were still a bit unfocused, but some rereading of her rock opera couldn't hurt. She slowly reached over and took it, her fingers meeting old, soft paper. Propping herself up a bit, she settled comfortably against her pillows and skimmed through some pages.

It only took her a few minutes to give up. She stared up at the wood atop her bed, connected to the drapes surrounding her. She let out a frustrated sigh.

Her rock opera… was so _juvenile_.

Granted, she was still a juvenile, but she wanted to be a singer. She wanted to sing about mature, responsible topics that would make people think. Her opera with the scientific experiment finding love in an ordinary girl reeked of high school daydreams and the false representation of romance as seen on television.

Carter had seen so much, had killed so many people- she had helped orchestrate the end of a war, for crying out loud. She may have desired some normalcy in her life, but the drivel she had written before was not who she was. She was a Valentine, her hands seeped in blood and her body covered in invisible scars.

Besides, the music industry had enough songs about this dead horse trope. She couldn't blame the singers, not really- they were puppets to big business, and if they wanted a living, they had to do as they were told. And the people who went against that were people to admire, not matter how they did it. Sure, Carter still had problems with the music industry and with some singers- Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj still tremendously unnerved her- but they were trying to make it big in a sexist music industry. Carter had just been perpetuating the problem at this point.

Carter closed the tattered notebook and summoned as much ice as she could into her hands. It was painful work, the power sending jolts of agony throughout her body. It wasn't supposed to happen, that was how abused her body was. But this had to be done.

Her hands glowing blue, she forced the pages to become cold and soggy. And then she froze it, the paper becoming hard and brittle. Silently screaming, Carter crushed the notebook until it shattered, years of hard work now pieces on her bed.

Carter shook off the remains as best she could and groped the bed side table for paper and a pencil. She had new songs to write.

* * *

><p><em>Sam hated being a kid. Kids were small and stupid, snot dripping out of their noses and limited intelligence bearing the most inane of words from out of their mouths. They were incapable of doing much by themselves, and ultimately, there was so little that they could do in general.<em>

_But what they could do, they did with utmost cruelty._

_Sam's hair was a dull mud brown, her eyes lacking their usual luster. She was wearing jeans and her older brother's favorite red sweater, the one he almost always wore. It was old and soft and enveloped her in warm security. _

_It helped her ignore the rocks being thrown at her._

_A particularly sharp rock grazed her cheek. Blood dripped down her face, the red color matching the stains on her jeans, where other cuts were. Sam huddled into a little ball against the wall, her face hidden in her arms. She could hear the children jeering, laughing every time a rock made her body shudder._

"_Freak!"_

"_Whore!"_

"_Psycho!"_

"_What's wrong with your family?"_

"_How many people did your grandma kill?"_

"_DuBaers are all psychos! Even your brothers!"_

"_I feel so bad for your little brother, having a little slut for a sister."_

"_I'm so glad the older one's dead. One less freak to worry about."_

_Sam could hear them laughing, laughing, she hated their laughter, hated how her pain amused them. Todd hadn't been crazy; he had been a fantastic brother, loving, protective. He had read stories to her and Todd every night, made sure they ate their vegetables, helped them with their homework. He wasn't just a brother, he was a father. He was too young to die, it was unfair!_

_And these monsters were laughing about it._

_They were throwing stones at her, at a little girl cowering against the wall. They wanted her dead, and __**they were laughing about it**__. _

_**They wanted to kill her AND THEY WERE LAUGHING ABOUT IT.**_

"_**What are you going to do about it?" **__a gravelly voice asked. Sam peeked out of her arms and didn't see the children, or the stones, or the school wall she had been hugging. She was in a dark place, someplace she didn't recognize._

_Something bright shined at the corner of her eye. Sam turned her head to see a woman standing before her, the bottom of her red dress blackened with scorch marks. Her toga was slit up to her thighs, revealing the knives strapped there. Her arms were covered in battle scars. Her hair was writhing around her body like a raging fire, and her eyes were lit red, orange, and yellow, just like a bonfire._

"_Kirche," Sam breathed._

"_In the flesh," the goddess answered, her voice old and smoky. "Hypothetically speaking, anyway. I'm really just a voice in your head, projecting myself into your daydreams so we can meet face to face."_

"_In other words, I'm your vessel."_

_Kirche nodded. "You poor child." She knelt down so she could look Sam in the eyes and put a hand on head. "I'm so, so sorry about all this. Because of me and your grandmother we've given your family a terrible reputation. You are faultless, and yet you bear the brunt of the blame."_

_The little girl shrugged helplessly. "It wouldn't have mattered. They would have picked on me anyway."_

"_But not like this." Kirche waved a hand over the cuts and blood, her hard face twisting with disgust. "Those children are the real psychopaths, and they will never see the truth. You are now the scapegoat, the one everyone will blame when war comes and brings death and destruction with it. You have been forced into an impossible position, and for that I will eternally be regretful."_

_Sam shrugged again, her eyes lifeless. "What else is new?"_

"_Power."_

_An impossibly small light sparked in her eyes. "Power?"_

_Kirche nodded solemnly. "More power than you could possibly imagine." She brought her other hand up. A ball of fire licked her cupped fingers. "It is hard to control, and it will never be your friend. It will consume everything if you let it get out of control, and it will be nearly impossible to resist the temptation. But you will train, and you will learn to make it submit to you and you will force it to become an ally."_

_-Her eyes were slowly regaining their coppery sheen, her hair crackled to life-_

_Sam hesitantly reached out towards the fire. "I want it."_

"_You want this power?" Kirche held the ball teasingly out of reach. "How much of it?"_

"_**All of it." **__There was so much hunger in her voice, it was unnatural for a child. Her gaze held such dangerous desire that it was unnerving, but she was coming back to life, her eyes copper brown with green flecks and her red hair speckled with orange and yellow._

"_Why do you want this power?" Kirche asked, her hand closer to little fingers._

"_To conquer my enemies."_

"_Why? You will only prove to them that you are a monster."_

_Sam gave her such a hate-filled gaze that the war goddess flinched. "__**They're the monsters," **__she snarled. "They keep hurting me and call me crazy. I don't care if I prove them right; __**I want them dead**__. __**They made me a monster."**_

_Kirche stared at her before a nasty grin spread upon her face. "Oh, you know it so well," she crowed. "The indignation, the hatred, the irrepressible desire to destroy and conquer. Well then, take it!"__She thrust the ball of fire at Sam. "Take all of it! Burn them! Let them see what they created!"_

_Little hands grasped the orb, and heat spread throughout her body. It gave her the feeling of warmth and security, just like Todd always did. But it wasn't her older brother giving her strength, it was Kirche, sweet, disturbed Kirche, her mental state ravaged by endless war and carnage. And Sam was soon to join her. _

_Sam could hear another stone fly at her. She caught it before it could hit her, and she suddenly stood up. The other kids started, before their nasty grins came back full force._

"_Oh, what now, you're gonna fight back?" the ring leader taunted, sauntering up to her. He sneered when Sam didn't talk. "Weak, just like the rest of your pussy family," he went on, his face right next to hers. "Bet I could piss on your older brother's grave and you wouldn't say a thing."_

_Sam slapped a hand over his face and grinned as he screamed. Smoke curling out from under her hand, she tightened her grip as he tried to jerk away, rooting him in place. His muffled screaming grew high pitched as the heat intensified. A red aura pulsed around her, a force field protecting her, healing her cuts._

_Sam gave a hearty laugh as his head exploded._

_Sizzling pieces of brain erupted from his cranium, hitting the boys and girls standing in horrified silence. The smell of burning flesh, the loud thump of the fallen body, and the sharp heat of the splattered gray matter forced the children in acting. They screamed and tried to run, but fire was suddenly blocking their path, creating a ring around them. The ring was getting smaller, smaller, sending the children back towards Sam._

_They were crying, their fun game turning disastrous, they wanted to out, they were choking, openly sobbing-_

"_You're a monster!" One of them pointed an accusing finger at her. "You're a fucking monster!"_

_Sam's grin stretched unnaturally across her face, showing off too much pointed teeth. Her pupils were sharpened to knife slashes, and tears streamed down her face. Her voice was no longer her own, becoming gravelly and ancient._

"_**YOU MADE ME A MONSTER," **__she screamed.__** "NOW BURN!"**_

Sam jerked awake, hyperventilating. She tore off her bed sheets and violently trashed, rolling over onto the ground in her effort to get away. Her shoulders were shaking, bile rising in her throat, her need for air rising with every passing second.

"Sam?" a tentative voice called out. She snapped her head up to see Gwen standing over her, her red hair out of its ponytail. She looked scared and worried, and she crouched down to Sam's level so they could see eye to eye. With the light hitting her just right, a halo seemed to shine around Gwen's head. It was obvious why Evan considered her angelic.

Sam threw herself in her arms, breaking down into sobs. Gwen quickly put her arms around her shaking form, murmuring, "It's okay, it's over now, everything's going to be just fine," over and over as Sam cried and cried, ever so slowly regaining control over herself.

Her memories were skewed, she knew that. Carter and Evan had been with her when the children threw stones, every single time. They received the same bloody wounds she did. They were there when she made some kid's head explode. They watched with glee as Sam burned alive their other tormentors. Carter had been the one to heal all their cuts while Evan quickly buried the bodies, creating holes in the pavement and smoothing the ground over.

It had been after school when the burning occurred; no teachers had been around to hear the commotion. Not that they cared. They always let the children get away with their games, especially when it came to Sam. They just didn't care.

It made Sam so impossibly happy to see them all punished for never finding the bodies.

Her powers were such a relief back then, but they quickly turned sour. The damage had been done and was still taking place. The Pride was full of monsters, all of them created from torment and hatred. And it would never end, not for any of them. And no one could help them, no human therapist, not their undying grandparents, no one.

But Sam dried her tears and gave Gwen a watery smile. Gwen softly returned it. She was innocent- all three of them were innocent. They were already deep into their world, they didn't need more darkness in their lives.

So Sam pretended everything was okay. It always turned out okay if she pretended. So what if the blood and carnage were destroying the minds of the Slayers' pride and joy? So what if they were monsters? It didn't matter.

It just didn't matter.

* * *

><p>"So what happens now?" Kevin asked the crowd of friends. Everyone was up now, standing in a circle inside the constellation room. Pearl was walking around, changing bedsheets. Her presence was a bit of an anomaly, according to Sam and Evan.<p>

"Pearl?" Evan had exclaimed the minute he laid eyes on her. "How-when did you-?"

"Why are you here?" Sam articulated better. "You were supposed to be off the grid for ten years!"

Pearl just gave them a secretive smile and said, "I had some help. Besides, I just couldn't wait to see my three favorite kids." She ruffled their hair affectionately, making them beam up at their old babysitter.

After that all good cheer ceased, and the two of them joined Kevin and Gwen in the huddle. Two of their number were missing. They knew that they would be all right- Pearl had said so quite confidently- but it still felt wrong, not having them here.

Cordelia then chose to walk in, her throat still swathed in bandages. Her braid was over her shoulder, swinging like a rope as she moved. Her hands were in her lab coat's pockets, and it almost seemed like she was smiling.

"Please tell me Ben's fine," Gwen said, a haunted, hollow look in her eyes.

"You got something that can fix him, right?" Kevin asked hopefully. "Like, a fixer upper?"

"A fixer upper," Cordelia mused. "You know, in the five thousand years I've been alive, I sort of wish I thought of that." She smirked. "Oh wait; _I did_."

Someone outside the room attempted to kick the door down, except they didn't. They could hear the sounds of muffled crashing and a cry of pain. A moment later the door opened normally, and Ben Tennyson walked into the room, limping slightly.

"I really need to work on my entrances," he moaned.

A beat of silence, and then everyone was upon him, whooping and hollering. Gwen had tears in her eyes; Evan had him wrapped in a bear hug; Sam gave him a kiss on the cheek; Kevin ruffled his hair affectionately.

It took a while, but they settled down, the joy vibrating through the air. "I'm guessing you're in condition to fight," Sam stated, eyeing his chest.

Ben shrugged his shoulders. "For the most part. Except for the part where I might not have twelve hours."

Evan looked confused. "But the restoratives are supposed to give you a nine to twelve hour boost no matter who or what you're fighting. That's how they're designed."

"Normally yes," Cordelia told him. "But those rules only apply to humans and Slayers. When it comes to aliens like Anodites and any type of shapeshifter, the rules change exponentially."

"How so?" Gwen asked curiously.

"You burn energy differently," she answered. "Anodites take energy from the world around them, but they still use their own. Shapeshifters can change into any form, and that naturally burns a lot of energy. I'm not sure how Osmosians would be affected by this, though," she admitted. She turned to Kevin. "Perhaps we can test it out some other time."

"I'd rather not play with your toys," Kevin said tentatively, shifting his weight.

Cordelia shrugged and became serious once more. "In Ben's case, he may be using the Omnitrix as a power source, but changing forms does take a toll on him. I honestly can't say how long he has before the elixir wears off. That's why you have to come back here after the conqueror's challenge," she told Ben sternly.

He nodded. "Sure thing. Anything else?"

"You wouldn't by any chance have a To'kustar in your selection of aliens?"

"No, I don't."

"Isn't that the alien you used to beat Vilgax last time?" Kevin wondered. "How are you going to beat him now?"

"Stall him until Cordelia's plan happens." He turned to the Immortal hopefully.

"I don't have a plan."

"What," Sam said flatly.

"You always have a plan!" Evan protested.

Not this time." She turned to Ben. "It's a conqueror's challenge. You have to face Vilgax alone. If anyone helps you, you automatically forfeit the match."

"And the entire Earth is doomed, I know," Ben groaned.

Cordelia's hard gaze softened somewhat. "Oh come on, don't give up on yourself so quickly. You're clever, you'll think of something. Phineas must have taught you something, given you a few ideas."

There it was, a tiny blue spark in his eyes. It was growing brighter, briefly overtaking the normal warm green of his eyes. And then it was gone, replaced itself by a familiar arrogance.

"Not exactly trained, but he's given me an idea."

* * *

><p><strong>At dawn<strong>

To the untrained eye, everything was normal in Bellwood's forest preserve. Sure, there may have been a giant crater and an alien device sticking out of it, but otherwise everything was normal…except for the invisible force field and the helicopters flying around it. And the news vans and cameras parked right outside the invisible circle.

There was a flash of white light, and a black clad alien appeared inside the preserve. He was a small, strange looking thing, but he had a voluminous voice, enhanced by alien technology. "People of Earth," he announced. "Today's contest is being broadcast simultaneously on all information channels. Be forewarned; the conqueror's challenge is a courtesy." The alien gestured to the enormous fleet just above him. "Vilgax's fleet is currently in orbit around this planet. Should your champion fail to show, Vilgax will declare victory and obliterate the Earth, as is his legal right."

"And if Vilgax chickens out, I win, right?" Jetray asked as he swooped in in front of Vilgax's lackey. He had to ask: "Will you have to work for me, after? Because… I really hate mowing the lawn."

The black clad alien clenched his fist. "After the battle, I will personally remove the Omnitrix and present it to Vilgax. Speaking of whom…" He looked up at the mother ship and disappeared in a flash of purple light. Jetray looked up to see a giant flaming ball headed right at him.

_MOVE, BITCH, GET OUT THE WAY! _Ben inwardly screamed to himself as the blast overtook him. The ground cracked and erupted from the crash site, and fire spread throughout the forest preserve, creating an inferno.

Jetray, who had miraculously survived, shook off his disorientation. He looked up to see Vilgax himself looming at him, looking at home wrapped in the flames. His shadow seemed to stretch over everything, and for a second Ben was ten years old again, scared and desperate.

Jetray slowly reached a hand to his chest.

"Ben 10, I've come to kill you and conquer your world!" Vilgax roared, looking every bit as terrifying as he was five years prior. And then, in an act that chilled Ben to his bones, he smiled. "Is now a bad time?"

For a second, Ben wanted to cry, but he didn't know if Jetray was capable of that. He was so utterly _done_ with everything. He had seen people who he thought invincible nearly die; he had nearly died himself a few hours ago! His grandfather was in the hospital, his friends were exhausted and traumatized, and he hadn't been able to see his girlfriend or his parents prior to the fight. And now Vilgax wanted him dead _again_.

If Ben hadn't felt so scared, he would have been incredibly pissed off.

_**How about you channel that fear into rage? **_In the back of his mind, he could hear the god's comforting voice. He had never attempted to speak to him as an alien before; the situation must have been dire. But if there was ever a time Ben needed to hear that warm, familiar voice, it was now.

_**Put your hand over the symbol, Ben. **_His voice was soft and convincing. _**Let me handle things for once.**_

_I'm supposed to fight him, _Ben thought back numbly. _If I don't, he'll obliterate the Earth._

Ventus paused, and then his voice became lighter. Ben could have sworn he was smiling back there. _**Then how about we fight him together? **_

"Are you ready to die, Ben?" Vilgax glowered at him menacingly.

"Can we skip the threats and get to the fight already?" Jetray snapped back. "It's been a long day, and there's a Sumo Slammers marathon and I forgot to set the alarm." He stood up and smiled.

Vilgax snarled and drew the sword that had been strapped to his back. He swung it down at Jetray with one hand, sending flames careening into the sky. It should have killed him, or perhaps injured him slightly. Or at least Jetray should have escaped the flames.

But it wasn't Jetray anymore.

Vilgax couldn't see who it was- no one could- but it wasn't any recognizable alien. The thing that escaped the searing flames was wearing sneakers and jeans, and had something blue flapping behind him. His upper torso was cast in shadows, his appearance ultimately discernable.

"**I'll take that as a yes." **His voice was childish and mirthful, but it sounded too deep and mature to be in such a young body. Two voices seemed to be blended together, the effect being almost musical to the ears.

Balls of lightning struck the ground near Vilgax's feet, sending smoke and flames into the air. Except Vilgax hadn't been hurt; he was inside a yellow sphere. "You're energy beams are no match for the shield of Sigo!" the tyrant crowed.

Vilgax then sheathed his sword and ran towards his opponent, tackling him in midair. The shadows were no longer cast over him; as he laid on the ground, the sun shone on his tattered blue coat, its black hem reaching his knees. Long loose sleeves covered his arms, its cuffs black, and the design of autumn leaves were spread throughout the fabric in a haphazard design. Thick blond hair fell over his neck, choppy and windblown.

The boy looked up, sky blue eyes hidden by long hair. The black V-neck of his coat hinted at the bandages wrapped around his chest. He coughed once, and then stared wide eyed as Vilgax sent a punch his way.

Except his fist never connected. Instead of hitting malleable skin, it struck against dense air. The scent of ozone was in the air, and Venn smiled over the fist.

"**Silly Vilgax. Smart people know when to give up." **

And the giant alien was sent back, the weight of the dense air equivalent to being hit by a truck. He skidded once, twice, three times over the ground before his body flopped and created a crater. The blonde boy stood over him, smoke billowing out from his feet.

He mimed punching Vilgax's face with both fists, and dense air connected together. Vilgax was being pulverized into the dirt by the same force of multiple trucks hitting him over and over again, and he was powerless to stop it.

The air child then stopped his onslaught, and then started to skip backwards. He let out a mirthful giggle, his strange voice unnerving. Venn mimed the 'come at me bro' gesture and said, **"Come on now, show me what you got."**

Vilgax immediately brought laser vision to the field, forcing the air child to flip, tumble, and dodge in circular motions to avoid being hit. It was going well until a laser hit his coat, and then his arm, his chest, and nearly everywhere else. He collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.

Two voices were screaming in the boy's head, one old and experienced, one young and cunning. They were both worried and frightened; the body they were using was merely a fragile puppet, and not something they could throw around unnecessarily. They had to get up, they had to stand up and work together and fight-

A hand roughly grabbed Venn and hoisted him up. Vilgax was squeezing his neck with a golden gauntlet. He scratched at the hand, desperate for air, and then electricity hit his body.

Venn smiled.

With glowing blue eyes he absorbed the power through one hand, sending it through his body. It rapidly traveled through his arm, swerving around his heart- _too close, TOO CLOSE- _before he let out the electricity through the other hand. It struck Vilgax right in the face, sending him careening back with a scream of pain.

The air child fell to the ground, walking in a circular motion to get his footing back. And then he noticed the tremors flowing through his arm. He clutched at it desperately, but the shaking wouldn't stop.

"**We need to end this now." **Venn furrowed his brow. **"But how? Vilgax has the power of ten heroes on his side." **He raised an eyebrow. **"And we have more than ten aliens… you sure you can't access Way Big?" **He lightly shook his head. **'No, that's still impossible." **His eyes widened as he saw Vilgax running at him with his flame sword. **"Think fast!" **

Venn dodged as fire was sent at him again. He flipped through the air like an acrobat before landing in a crouch. **"We need to freeze him. No, we need Carter for that. Then can we set him on fire? Fire needs oxygen to burn. Isn't he immune to flames though?" **He furrowed his brow as Vilgax loomed over him once again.

"Ben!" They could hear Gwen shriek behind him, along with other familiar voices.

"**We're ending this now," **Venn said solemnly, and his eyes glowed blue.

Thunder clouds suddenly darkened the sky, except it was supposed to be a sunny day. They were a metallic gray and brought the scent of rain, and lightning flashed through them. But there was still the sense of wrongness about them, something supernatural.

And then, it was understood: the storm was brewing _inside_ the force field.

Venn stood up, his long hair covering his glowing eyes. His grin was stretched out maniacally, needle sharp fangs showing through his lips. Vilgax took one look at the sky and glared at him.

Venn shook his head. **"I told you; smart people know when to give up." **He closed his eyes, and help up his hands like a composer.

And with a final wave, lightning was brought down from the heavens.

For a second, everything was white. There was no sound, no smell, and no sight, nothing other than pure, white oblivion. Then slowly, ever so slowly, sound returned in a rushing wave, along with the smell of burnt grass and ozone and rain. And the last sight was Vilgax in an enormous smoking crater, utterly defeated.

Venn was on his hands and knees, vomiting up small quantities of dark blood. His coat receded into familiar green, his black t-shirt covering up his bandages. His hair receded into its normal length and returned to its natural brown color. His teeth ached as they returned to human size, and his glowing blue eyes petered out until they were green again.

Ben Tennyson shakily got up on his feet and walked over to the crater. Wiping his mouth free of blood and exuding an aura of arrogance, he smirked and said, "Say the word."

Refusing to look at his smug face, Vilgax muttered, "I yield."

* * *

><p><strong>Afterwards<strong>

"Know this Ben Tennyson; I will have my vengeance."

"Sure you will. Get out of here."

Once Vilgax, his henchman, and his fleet were gone, Ben turned to Cordelia. "So I'm guessing everyone knows my secret now?"

She shook her head. "No."

"But we were on TV all over the world."

"I used Plumber tech to block the transmission about halfway through," Cordelia explained. "Everyone saw the aliens, but nobody saw Ben Tennyson. Or your fusion. Impressive work, by the way," she added approvingly. "Fusions are exhausting, especially the first time you do it."

"Yeah, what was that exactly?" Kevin asked.

"I'm guessing that's something you'll explain once we're in a more secure location," Gwen stated. The older woman rolled her eyes but didn't deny it.

"Well, all's well that ends well," Evan said jovially.

"You're all going to therapy," Cordelia deadpanned.

"I HATE YOU!"

"How are you holding up?" Sam asked Ben, ignoring Evan for the umpteenth time in her life. Gwen and Kevin looked over him worriedly.

Ben would have thought it over, but the tremors had spread through the rest of his body, and he could still taste blood in his mouth. In all honesty, it was getting hard to stand.

So, without any further ado, Ben calmly said, "Take me to a hospital." And then he fell flat on his face.

* * *

><p><em>About Venn's funny way of talking… yeah, that's Ben and Ventus arguing. They're sharing a body and one voice, so it gets weird. It was fun to write though. And I may or may not have stolen the idea of fusing from Steven Universe. Shh!<em>

_Also, when I say that no one can help the Pride, I do mean __no one__ can help the Pride. Think about it: they've been trained since practically infancy to murder and destroy, even if it means saving people in the long run. They've been like this for a very long time. And they've been told that murder is wrong from a very young age._

_Can you imagine what that's like? Having your very way of life be revealed as something atrocious? Something that isn't condoned by modern society? That can really fuck a kid up. _

_And guys, let's face it: for the Pride, violence and murder has always been an option. Hate a criminal? Kill him. Want to stop an alien invasion? Slaughter the entire army. Want to get back at your childhood bullies? Set them on fire and hide the bodies six feet under. They know it's wrong, but they're so used to it that they can't stop. They have nothing left._

_And no one understands. Ben and Gwen and Kevin can't possibly understand their situation, not really. And I seriously doubt a therapist would be able to help them. Cordelia, Isaac, Lucille, Raphael, Phineas, they have an inkling- they've seen millennia of carnage, after all- but they're thousands of years old. They can eventually get over it. The Pride can't._

_The Pride are trained to be sociopaths, and they're fighting those tendencies. But they can't help but fall back on them. That's all they've known; they know it's slowly eating away at them like a disease, and they know there is no cure._

_To diverge from that somber note, I'll say this: this chapter was a bitch to write, but it was rewarding. And it's super long too! Hopefully that sort of makes up for my disappearance. _

_And for my final announcement:_

_By the order of the Fanfiction dot net Democracy, of the Celestialsapien Court, and of the High Council of Gallifrey, I hereby allow anyone who has read my story from beginning to end to write stories with my OCs in it. _

_Before, if you'd had asked me, I would have said no because I didn't feel comfortable having other people write my characters when I hadn't fully fleshed them out yet. But now I feel comfortable with my characters and where they're at and I am ready to set them free (so to speak). _

_So go on! Stretch those writing muscles and use my OCs! Just please mention where you got them from so no one accuses you of plagiarism, okay? And don't expect me to read them, because I don't have time for that. _

_So, thoughts anyone?_


	67. Enigmatic Entrances

Chapter 67: Enigmatic Entrances

_What's this, another update? And this one only about two weeks after the first? This is progress, people! XD_

_Though, to be honest I'm going back to school soon, so don't expect updates to be this fast. I will certainly try to update every few weeks once college is back in session, but there are no guarantees._

_Still, I'd like to thank each and every one of my readers for sticking by me all this time. Seriously, you guys had to wait almost an entire year for an update (though I had some pretty good reasons). Seriously, you guys are awesome._

_On another note, I noticed that no one commented on my next Ben 10 project. Considering that it's set in Omniverse, I figured people would be protesting it. I'm guessing you guys just don't care? That's honestly better than people bashing it before I even start writing it._

_Ah, also, these next few chapters deal with the aftermath of what happened the last few chapters. It's got some angst, and some plot points for the arc I've created for season 3. It should be interesting. _

_Anyway, on with the chapter!_

* * *

><p>The room was actually quite beautiful, now that Sam thought about it. It was small and cozy, with the couch near the dead fireplace. The entire room was decked out in warm earth tones save for the chairs, which were a soft red color.<p>

Sam laid on the couch, her head towards the fireplace. She could make out the floral designs on the ornate fence in front of it. She contemplated making a fire start, but it was almost summer and the room was warm enough as it was.

Isaac cleared his throat. Sam turned her head to stare at him. His skin had a gray pallor to it, which was understandable. He had been stabbed pretty ruthlessly and left to die, pinned to a wall like an insect by an entomologist. He still looked impeccable, his suit cut in the newest style, not a blonde hair out of place.

"You do know you have to talk for this, right?" Isaac said. He tapped his pen against his notepad.

Sam rolled her eyes. "I've been in your therapy office plenty of times, Isaac. I know the drill. " _Not that your therapy sessions ever help matters, _she thought bitterly.

"Okay then, why don't you start?"

"Because I'm not a little kid anymore." As Isaac continued to stare at her and not talk, Sam groaned and sat up properly. "I've been here for grief counseling after Todd died. I recall talking to you about my first kill as a member of the Pride. I've been in and out of this place ever since I was little, trying to cope with the brutal dogma you've taught me. I know what's going to happen."

"Oh? Then why don't you tell me."

Sam let out a frustrated groan and fell back onto the cushions. "I'm going to talk about my feelings, I'm gonna cry, you'll say something that cheers me up a little, and then I go my merry way. That's what always happens."

"Then why isn't that same script happening now?"

"Because I'm _so done_ with it."

"Hmm. Well, that is a sentiment I can understand," Isaac admitted, "but Cordelia is putting you through this for a reason. So why don't you tell me why you're here."

Sam huffed and crossed her arms. "Because that blob thing murdered you all."

"Tried to murder us," he corrected her.

"And damn near did it to," Sam continued. "I've seen dead bodies plenty of times, seen some really messed up things, but that… what that thing did to all of you…" She trailed off, averting her gaze.

"It was frightening. Perfectly understandable."

"But it shouldn't have been." Sam closed her eyes and balled her fists. Letting out the breath she had been holding, she said, "You've taught us to control our emotions, that our powers were dangerous if we didn't keep a collected mind. But when we saw you all like that, we just couldn't…"

"You couldn't stop screaming." Isaac stopped writing and looked her dead in the eyes. "A perfectly natural reaction."

"But not for us." Sam looked at him sharply. "We may be three parts human, but our Slayer part must always be a priority. Emotions from our human part cloud our judgement. We can't let it control us."

"And you didn't," Isaac pointed out. "Yes, it was very lucky your powers didn't activate at the time, but you've had so many years to learn to control your powers that it's as natural to you as breathing. None of you had much to worry about."

"That doesn't excuse us freaking out over you," Sam said bitterly. "We always keep a calm head. _Always_."

"Except when someone you love is involved," Isaac told her. "Again, a perfectly natural reaction. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

"You taught me to be ashamed of it." Her voice broke without her knowing it.

"No, you taught yourself." He leaned back in his chair and steepled his hands. "Though, we may have encouraged such an attitude in you. For that, I am truly sorry."

Sam raised an eyebrow. Isaac certainly seemed honest when he apologized, but you just never knew with any of the Immortals. They had lived for too long. And there was one more thing…

"You're accent's slipping," she noted. Isaac pursed his lips in a way that reminded Sam of Carter. And then he smiled.

"How about now?" he said, showing off his British accent.

"Better." A tense silence fell, neither side willing to come forward towards the next step. This therapy session was going exactly how it normally did in the past: Sam revealed what was wrong, Isaac helped her pick it apart piece by piece, she cried a bit (or nearly did), he comforted her a bit, and she left. The pattern never changed, not with Isaac.

"So what do we do now?" she asked after a minute. She fully knew what the answer was.

Isaac leaned forward, his pen poised over his notepad. "Let's start from the beginning."

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile...<strong>

Ben woke up swimming in medicine.

At this point, he was used to it.

He got out of the healing pod and dressed, his limbs unusually heavy. He felt lethargic, his eyelids drooping constantly. All he wanted to do was collapse onto his bed, but he wasn't in his home. Maybe Carter would let him crash on her couch.

Where _was_ Carter, anyway? Ben walked out of the room and slowly made his way around the house. He hadn't seen her since the night before, when that thing-

Ben fell to his knees, hand to his mouth. He could feel hot bile rising in his throat, and tears stung at his eyes. He could feel his teeth sharpen involuntarily, prepared to tear apart the thing that had hurt Cordelia and Phineas and him- he wanted to kill he wanted to fight _HE WANTED TO RIP IT TO SHREDS_-

"Ben."

He looked up to see Pearl standing in front of him, a bottle of water in her hands. She knelt down and put a cool hand on his sweaty forehead.

"What's wrong, kiddo?" she asked, concerned. "How are you feeling?"

Ben swallowed the bile rising in his throat and forced his teeth to return to normal. The act still brought sharp pains that travelled up and down his face. He took a deep breath and said, "I'm fine."

"That's a lie," Pearl stated. She sighed. "But you don't have to tell me anything. You can tell Isaac later during therapy."

"Therapy?"

She raised an eyebrow. "After what you've been through, you need it. No objections."

"But-"

"No. Objections."

Ben groaned and slowly stood up. "_Fine._" Pearl handed him the water bottle and he took a greedy drink. The cool liquid helped wash away the taste of vomit.

"By the way, I saw the fusion you did with Ventus. The others can't really pull it off like you did. I'm impressed," she added, making Ben smile.

"Ventus and I get along pretty well when the situation calls for it," he said lightly.

"I suppose you do. So, what do you plan on doing now?" Pearl asked conversationally.

"Sleep," Ben moaned. "I'm gonna see if Carter's couch is available." He made to move, but the look on Pearl's face stopped him. It was a mixture of worry and fear, something that made Ben's stomach suddenly feel like lead.

"I don't think you should do that," Pearl said slowly, her voice cool and controlled.

"And why not?"

"Didn't anyone tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Of course they didn't, you would have been distracted," Pearl murmured. She gave a long suffering sigh before bracing herself. "Do you remember what happened to you after you were shot?"

Ben reflexively put a hand near his heart, right where the two bullets entered his chest. "No. Not really."

"Then you don't remember Carter getting those bullets out of you."

He took a step back. "What?"

"Oh yeah." Pearl crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, looking for all the world like she was having a pleasant conversation and not the drama bomb it actually was. "It was her first time doing it too. I mean, it's not the first time those kids have been shot at, but they have armor to protect them from bullet wounds. Carter never had to worry about surgically removing a bullet before now." She shrugged. "Cordelia would have done a better job, but she was out of commission."

Ben knew Cordelia had been out of commission. He had been the one to try and drag her away from the fighting, not that it helped.

"It was quite nerve racking, you know," Pearl continued conversationally. "I mean, if you were conscious, it would have been even worse for you, but you weren't, so it might not be as bad. I suppose, at the time, it was worse for Kitty. Most of her medical knowledge comes from journals and what Cordelia and Isaac have told her. She doesn't really have experience."

"And she did it anyway?" A grin was slowly spreading its way across his lips. If what Pearl said was true- and it likely was- then Ben was dating the most badass person ever. She was probably going to give him that devious little smirk that he loved so much-

"Yes, but at a cost," Pearl continued grimly. The cute thought process going through Ben's mind halted suddenly, and he stared at her with something akin to fear.

"What do you mean?" he breathed. "Pearl?"

Pearl sighed. "She fixed you up and defeated the monster of the week, but she used up far too much power. Let's just say there was a lot of blood."

He could feel the need to throw up surfacing again. "Where is she?"

She raised an eyebrow. "She's resting in her room. No one's allowed to see her!" she called at his back as he ran down the hallway.

Ben immediately slammed into someone, and he fell to the floor painfully. Groaning in pain, he looked up to see Kevin towering over him, holding a hand out towards him. Ben blinked and could see the stricken look on his friend's face when he stepped in front of him, having the bullets enter him instead of Kevin. He quickly blinked the image away and grabbed Kevin's wrist, letting himself be hoisted up.

"So…" the older teen started.

"So…" Ben parroted back.

"How are you feeling?" Kevin asked awkwardly.

Ben scratched at the back of his head. "Like I need more sleep. You?"

"Better than you, I guess," he answered. "I just got out of therapy-"

"Aw, you're doing that too?"

He nodded his head. "Yep. Everyone's having a turn. Including you."

"I don't need therapy," Ben said resolutely.

"Tell that to Cordelia."

"…You tell her."

"Fuck that noise."

"You fuck that noise."

"Shut up Tennyson." Kevin glared at him, or rather, at his chest. Specifically the part where he'd been shot.

Ben rolled his eyes. "Okay, you need to stop-"

"Why'd you do it?" he asked suddenly.

Ben stared at him, confused. "I-what?"

"Why did you take the bullet for me?" Kevin asked slowly, his voice low.

Ben started to say something, but he closed his mouth. He swallowed dryly as his mind whirled, desperate for a reason. Ben then sighed, seeing as there was no point.

"I didn't want to see you get hurt like that."

Kevin looked at the ceiling, giving it a look that said, 'Can you believe this guy?' He gave Ben an extremely annoyed glare. "And you think I wanted to see you hurt like that?"

"What? No, of course not!"

"Then don't do it." His expression went from annoyed to cold, almost like his face had been carved from ice. And then there was a sudden pleading in his eyes, if the softening around them was any indication. "I don't want you getting shot. Don't do it again."

Ben took a deep breath. "…I'll try not to."

Kevin then turned around, and he could have sworn tears were forming in the older teen's eyes. That wasn't supposed to happen. No one was supposed to be crying over Ben Tennyson, that _wasn't how it worked._

Desperate to change the subject, he quickly asked, "Does Cordelia know I'm awake?"

"No," Kevin said curtly, still not looking at him.

"Great. I'm gonna go see Carter before she makes me go to therapy." Ben quickly walked away from Kevin.

"No one's supposed to see her- and you're already gone," Kevin muttered as Ben sprinted away. "Don't come crying to me when Cordelia finds out!" he called out angrily before the tiniest smile spread across his lips.

* * *

><p>Carter's room was dark and cold. The lights were off, and the curtains were drawn over the balcony door. The little light that filtered into the room came from there. Ben walked over to the balcony and drew back the heavy curtains, letting the afternoon sunlight into the room. He could feel the chill leave him as he walked over to Carter's bed.<p>

Her skin had taken a sick sheen to it, but it wasn't like the last time she was in the hospital. Back then, she had looked like a zombie, all gray, fevered skin and eyes too big for her face. Ben could see the signs of bandages wrapping around her torso- the blankets were covering her, but her bare shoulders were visible, revealing the gauze. Her breathing was deep, if the rise and fall of her chest was any indication. Count Fluffula was tucked in with her, its wings brushing against her shoulders.

Ben grabbed the chair from the desk and sat next to Carter's bed. He let out a long sigh. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. He had seen Carter, knew she was in good hands, but he didn't want to go back out just yet.

"So, I defeated Vilgax," Ben began anxiously. His leg was jumping up and down and his hands were clasped together in his lap. His eyes flitted over the room. Carter gave no indication that she heard. Count Fluffula seemed to stare at him, as if to say, '_that all you got, little boy?_'

"It was a tough battle," he continued, ignoring the blank glare of the stuffed animal. "I fused with Ventus- I didn't even know we could do that. Did you? Of course you did, you've been in this business for longer than I have." Some bitterness seemed to creep into his voice. "You never tell me anything until I need to know it. I _hate_ being in the dark."

_**Yep, just blame Carter for all that, **_Ventus said facetiously in Ben's head. _**Not like any of those kids had their reasons for not telling you everything at once. No sir, they did everything out of spite.**_

Ben knew he was being unfair the minute he uttered those words. It wasn't Carter's fault, or Sam's, or Evan's. It really wasn't anyone fault, but it didn't stop him from being sore about it. But he already felt guilty about pushing his feelings on Carter, while she was unconscious; Ventus really didn't need to rub it in.

_**Yes, I did need to rub it in.**_

_Shut up! Can't you leave my head for, like, two minutes?_

_**You know that's technically impossible. **_

_Go to the astral plane and make out with Aquaria._

_**Will do! **_And with that cheery goodbye, Ben's head was silent.

Ben sighed audibly. He turned back to Carter, who had seemed to stop breathing during his conversation. But no, her chest was still rising, just not as deeply.

"Okay, so, fusing," Ben continued. "Didn't know I could do that. It was really weird, because Ventus and I weren't just sharing a brain, we were actually sharing a body. Wow, that sounds really wrong when I say it out loud," he muttered. He was so glad his friends weren't here to hear that. Things were awkward enough as it was.

"But thanks to that fusion we were able to beat Vilgax," Ben continued lightly. "We totally kicked his ass by electrocuting him, and it was awesome, and I love you, and now Cordelia wants me to go to therapy." He pursed his lips. "In retrospect, that may not be a bad idea." He stood up and put away the chair.

"Anyway, I should get going. Thanks for saving my life again, by the way. I heard from Pearl what you did…" he trailed off and smiled stupidly before continuing. "You're my hero, you know that? My totally badass hero girlfriend."

And now Ben was embarrassing himself. He was glad Carter couldn't hear him, she would have a field day teasing him. "Anyway, I'll leave. Get better soon, okay?"

The second the door closed and the sounds of retreating footsteps faded, Carter opened her eyes. She blinked, turned her head to where Ben had just been, and said, "What."

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile…<strong>

"So how does this fusion thing work?" Gwen asked Evan.

The three of them were sitting in the living room. Kevin was sprawled across the armchair, his head hanging over one of the armrests. Gwen and Evan were sitting close to each other on the couch, Gwen sitting with her spine straight, Evan sitting slightly sideways so he could talk to her and face her at the same time.

"It's very simple really," he started. "You know how the Pride and Ben and Newt share a mind with a god?"

"Yep," Kevin drawled out, his mouth popping at the end of the word.

"Think of it like that, except sharing a body."

Gwen made an 'hmm' sound. "It seems awfully convenient. Why don't you guys do it all the time, or even during the High Breed invasion?"

"Well, you see, that's the hard part," Evan said, scratching at his face. "For me, Erda usually takes a seat back while I fight and live my own life. He occasionally gives some input, but he normally stays silent. I'm pretty sure that's the same for the others as well."

"Still not seeing why you couldn't use your fusion thing against the High Breed," Kevin said resentfully. He moved around in the armchair so he was sitting upright in it. That way he could glare at Evan easily.

"Because normally, I'm in control, and Erda takes a backseat," Evan continued, unfazed. "Sometimes he takes complete control and I'm sleeping in the back. But when we fuse, we're both driving the same car."

"Think about it this way." The three of them turned to see Sam leaning against the doorway, arms and legs crossed. "Two people are in the front of the car. One is driving, but the person sitting in shotgun keeps telling the other how to drive to their destination. They keep arguing about it while on the road, and sometimes they come to a decision, but other times they're still arguing. At least, that's how it was when Kirche and I fused the one time."

"How was that?" Gwen asked curiously.

"Very unpleasant."

"…Oh." Gwen turned back to Evan. He shrugged, smiling weakly.

"That's probably the best way to describe how it is to fuse," he pointed out. "Others get along easily, like Ben and Ventus and Carter and Aquaria, but others not so much."

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "You and Erda don't get along?"

"Oh we do," Evan said hastily. "But it's only when one or the other is in control. Neither of us are good at sharing leadership."

"And Kirche and I have always have different ideas on how to do things," Sam mused. "I think the reason why Carter and Aquaria get along so well is because of their mother-daughter dynamic…"

"Well, anyway, this really does help explain the whole fusion thing- have you been crying?" Kevin interrupted his own sentence when he got a better look at Sam. Everyone turned to her, seeing for the first time the red rims under her eyes and the sickly paleness of her skin.

"I usually do after therapy with Isaac," Sam said dismissively as she walked into the room.

Gwen furrowed her brow. "You've had therapy?"

"Plenty of times in the past," she answered back as she sat on the floor. She looked up to see the strange looks Gwen and Kevin were giving her. "What?"

"I thought you guys didn't have that," Kevin said bluntly.

"We mean to say, you always kind of implied that you didn't while you were growing up," Gwen quickly amended.

Sam and Evan looked at each other guiltily. "Yeah, we kind of did," he admitted.

"I mean, we did," Sam said, scratching the back of her head, "but it was mainly grief counseling and Isaac and Cordelia checking how traumatized we were."

"You mean, for the whole Pride thing," Kevin stated.

"No, for the people talking in our heads-yes we mean the Pride thing!" Evan snapped suddenly, throwing his hands up.

"Calm your tits," Sam said, glaring at him. He crossed his arms and mumbled crossly.

"So, they did care enough to give you emotional support." Gwen chewed over the thought.

"Just enough to make sure we were emotionally stable to do our jobs," Sam stated.

"Of course," Gwen said darkly.

"Hey, it could be worse," she pointed out. "They could not care at all."

"That is true," Kevin piped up. "And now we're getting therapy."

"Who's next on the list?" Sam asked.

"I think Ben," he replied. The others stared at him. "What?"

"He's awake?!" Gwen yelled, getting up from her seat. "And you didn't tell us?"

"He wanted to see Carter."

Evan got up as well. "But no one's allowed to see her."

Kevin shrugged. "Tell that to him."

"I swear, the guy has a death wish," Sam muttered ominously from the floor.

"Come on, let's go find Ben and tear him a new one," Evan said, some of his normal good humor seeping back. He and Gwen marched out of the room while Sam and Kevin lagged behind. Kevin got up from his cushy chair and strode over to Sam, who was already getting up. He gently held her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked softly, gently rubbing on her arm.

"I'm fine. This always happens after a session with Isaac," Sam said honestly. "We go back and forth, he says a few things that make me feel better about myself, and I cry with relief."

"Oh, is that all?" Kevin asked rhetorically, the lightness of his tone masking the concern he felt.

"You should see Evan after one," Sam said, smiling affectionately. "Guy bawls like a baby."

"How about Carter?"

Her smile lost a few wattages. "Sometimes."

Kevin took one look at her downcast eyes and kissed her on the forehead. She started slightly, her lips quirking with mirth until he kissed them. A calmness seemed to wash over them both, which stayed as their lips parted.

"Wow," Sam said breathlessly, "that was pleasant."

Kevin smirked. "Aren't they always?"

She smiled coyly. "No. Some are more… intense than that one."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yep." She threaded their hands together, and they swung in tandem as they left the living room. "We should experiment with that more often."

He grinned. "That we should."

* * *

><p><strong>In a dark, cold place<strong>

He glared into the blackness of the room. The only light that was there were from the burning torches inserted in the stone walls. It was relatively dim lighting, which hurt his eyes. Add in the crumbling structure of the building and the smell of decay permeating the air, and the man was not in a happy mood.

He glanced at his hand. The red-gold blob was squirming in pain, letting out pitiful bleats as it struggled to regain strength. He sighed; this strange little creature had been a throwaway experiment, something he should not have spent so much time on. But it had proved to be a worthy specimen to use. The first time he had used it, it changed into him and attempted to kill him. It nearly succeeded.

And then he had set the abomination loose onto Slayer HQ. The first time proved to be a beta-testing of sorts. It had done a considerable amount of damage before being brutally defeated. It had been a bit embarrassing for him, but the creature had still proven useful; it had brought back DNA samples and memories in its tiny brain.

The second time had proven much more fruitful. It had unleashed so much more carnage this time, demolishing the supercomputer room and taking out at least a hundred members. And it had even defeated Cordelia and Isaac and Lucille and all the others! It was incredible!

Granted, the second attempt was after he had modified his creature, and that the base had been earlier infiltrated by High Breed. He was not so stupid as to ignore that.

He sighed and sifted through the memories of his creature. He could see the desolation it had caused- _good monstrosity, very, very good- _had seen it hang Raphael from the rafters and crucifix Isaac to the wall and stab Lucille through the stomach and tear out Phineas's guts and rip out Cordelia's throat. They were still good fighters, very good, but they had gotten sloppy, overconfident. Five thousand years of such arrogance would do that to a person.

He would change that, one way or another.

He sifted through more memories, pausing at the sight of the children who dared defy his abomination. One he did not recognize; perhaps we was a child of one of the lesser families? His power of absorbing elements was unique and unpredictable. It would be prudent not to ignore him.

One of the girls made him think. She looked strikingly similar to the Force family, her facial structure being a dead giveaway. He compared it two other faces in the lineup. Ah yes, she was related to the Force family, along with the other boy. Two of those children had proven a handful; the other didn't do much, but the boy had taken a bullet for a friend. An admirable feat, truly.

He ignored the DuBaer child. He knew damn well what she was capable of, if Lucille was any indication. But the Valentine girl… now she would be tricky. She had immense power, but it came at a dreadful cost. Equivalent Exchange was certainly at work, and this girl proved it. She would be troublesome to deal with.

Muffled sobbing interrupted his musings. Bored, he looked up to see the three children bound and gagged in the floor. Three soccer players from the local public high school. What were their names? David? Jack? The third one with glasses escaped him at the moment. But the three of them looked the same, tears running from their faces, the three of them huddled in a circle, sitting upon an ancient purple alchemical seal.

The boy with glasses-Greg, that was his name- had managed to get his gag off. "Please let us go!" he whimpered out. "We didn't do anything to you!" The other two boys nodded emphatically. "We have people looking for us anyway. We'll give you money, if that's what you want!"

The older man thought for a moment. He set aside his creature, which slid off the table and onto the ground. He got up and walked to the boys, all of whom leaned back to get father away from him. He stopped in front of the seal and pulled at his doctor scrubs.

"The three of you were at a party celebrating the fact that the world wasn't going to be destroyed," The Doctor said in his slow baritone voice. "You already told your parents that you would staying over at a friend's house, and that the next day the three of you would be going to soccer camp for roughly three weeks. They are not currently looking for you."

The boys looked at him fearfully. He continued: "Also, I do not want your money. It is of very little value to me. I have other reasons why I require you."

"Like what?" Greg asked, his voice shaking. The Doctor looked at him with his cold, black eyes.

"Tell me, what do you know about the Philosopher's Stone?"

"You-you mean the thing from Harry Potter?"

The Doctor gave a long-suffering sigh. "Yes, like the thing from Harry Potter."

"It gives you eternal life… and…"

"Say no more, I already know how limited your knowledge is on the subject," The Doctor said not unkindly. He had enjoyed the series, if he had to be honest, but the information it gave on otherworldly things was severely lacking.

"The Philosopher's Stone can not only grant longevity to the user, but it can turn base metals into gold or silver, transmutation of common crystals into precious stones or diamonds, reviving the dead, creating a form of homunculus, and the ability to heal all forms of illness. Can you guess why I want the Philosopher's Stone?"

"…You want to help people?" Greg had lost some of his fear and was now staring at him incredulously. "But the Philosopher's Stone doesn't exist! Alchemy itself is a failed science!"

"To you it is," The Doctor cut in. "Your species has progressed quite nicely in the scientific field, if I do say so myself. Unfortunately, you are still blind to all the possibilities the universe has to offer. Alchemy is one of them. Tell me, do you know what a homunculus is?"

Greg furrowed his brow. "It's… like a tiny human being."

The Doctor beamed. "Very good. Homunculus, Latin for 'little man', plural form homunculi, is a representation of a small human being, or a clone of one. Another term you could use is doppelganger, I believe."

"You… you want to create a homunculus?"

"Yes." The three boys stared at him in disbelief. "What? A doctor is a scientist, and I want to experiment. And while I have created numerous ones, the results have been… mixed." He eyed the blob that was slithering up to him. The three boys recoiled at the sight.

"Oh, don't worry, it won't harm you unless I tell it to," The Doctor told them dismissively. "And it's too weak to do much damage, so there's that." He then clapped his hands together. "Well, time to start."

"Start what?" Greg asked, on edge.

"The experiment." The doctor turned and walked away from them. "The Philosopher's Stone isn't going to make itself."

Greg looked down at the ancient alchemical seal he was sitting on. "You mean-?!"

"Yes. You're the ingredients."

The doctor closed his eyes. There was a bright flash, something stronger than the sun itself. There were screams, two mangled, the other high-pitched and clear. When he opened his eyes, he noticed that the leftover blood splattered against the ground wasn't enough for three people.

He walked to the middle of the seal and picked up the red rock. Wiping off the blood, he revealed its luster, and just how small it was. Well, that was what he got from using only three people. Bigger stones required a bigger exchange rate. Still, it would do for now.

It would all do for now.

* * *

><p><em>Those three boys were actually introduced earlier in the story. I had bigger roles planned for them-mainly as people for Ben to hang out with; they are all on the soccer team, after all- but it didn't get off the ground. So I scrapped them. <em>_Yeah, I know they're a waste of possible characters, but there's nothing I can do at this point, and it's not like I can force them into the story._

_Though, if you think about it, the fact that they weren't included in the story makes sense canon-wise. Ben doesn't really have any friends besides Gwen and Kevin. Gwen has at least one school friend she's close to, and Kevin mentioned hanging out with some guys at the auto shop on at least one occasion, but Ben has never talked about hanging out with other people. He only hangs out with Gwen, Kevin, and Julie in the show, so it's safe to assume that Ben doesn't have many close friends. So, the exclusion of Greg, David, and Jack makes some sense._

_Also-I keep forgetting to mention this- but Pearl isn't an original character of mine. She's based off one of the main characters from the comic American Vampire. I kept some of her backstory, her first name, and her general appearance (at least from the first comic), but her personality is completely different. She's in this story for a reason though. You'll see._

_So, thoughts anyone? _


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